Life Had Other Plans
by JennaRay
Summary: Bella is an 18 year old college freshman. Edward is a 30 year old surgeon and a single dad of a 4 year old girl who has his life established and is not searching for or expecting love. Watch as their lives cross paths. AH/OOC. M for language and lemons.
1. Meeting Edward

**Bella Swan is an 18 year old college freshman ready to have a good time and discover herself…**

**Edward Cullen is a 30 year old pediatric surgeon and a single dad of a 4 year old little girl who already has his life established and isn't searching for or expecting love to ever come his way again…**

…**but sometimes life has other plans.**

**I do not own character names, just the plot :)**

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**BPOV**

"Hurry the fuck up, Bella!" I heard Rosalie yell from somewhere in our two bedroom apartment.

She was my roommate and one of my two best friends. My other best friend was Alice Brandon and we were all three students at Washington State University. They were both juniors and I was the baby…I was the freshman. It was finally Friday after a horrible week and the three of us were going out to the club that night to dance and blow off some steam.

"I can't find my shoes!" I yelled back.

I stumbled around my room, tossing around clothes, and searching desperately for my silver heels. I jumped and yelped in surprise when a moment later Rosalie and Alice came bursting through my bedroom door.

"What the hell Bella? You already have shoes on." Alice said.

"These shoes don't look right with this dress; I want the silver ones…"

Rosalie groaned in frustration and left my room to return a minute later holding some silver heels of her own.

"Here" she said as she tossed them to me. "Wear those…they're almost the same as yours."

"Thanks"

I kicked off the black heels that I had on and the slid on Rosalie's silver ones.

"Okay, now get your sweet ass out of this apartment before the fucking club closes" Rosalie answered.

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"There's a bunch of creeps here tonight" Alice yelled over the loud music an hour later. "Where are all the hotties?"

"Seriously" Rosalie yelled back. "Not that I'm not having a good time grinding up and you two hot bitches, but I'm ready to find a man to take home tonight!"

I rolled my eyes at both of them. Out of the three of us, I was definitely the only one who didn't need a man. Any time we went out it seemed like the whole time they were hunting for dick while I was just trying to enjoy myself with my girls.

"Woah, totally just locked some serious eye contact with a possibility over there…" Alice said excitedly.

"Where?" Rosalie asked her.

"Over there…over by the bar…"

I didn't even look in the direction of the guy she was pointing out.

"Oh damn, there's a group of them!"

"Jackpot!" Alice yelled enthusiastically.

"Let's go introduce ourselves." Rosalie suggested.

"Hell yeah!" Alice agreed.

I sighed and followed behind them as they took off in the direction of I assumed their said prey. I had no interest in meeting these guys but I wasn't going to stand in the middle of the dance floor alone looking like a fool. Don't get me wrong, I love guys, but the losers that I had seen hanging around this place left me with no interest for meeting guys at clubs. I preferred to pick up boys at classier places like Starbucks or school.

"So…" Rosalie cooed sexily as she approached a group of six guys. "Which one of you fine gentlemen are going to buy me a drink?"

A tall, muscular, meathead looking guy with light brown hair was the first one to oblige to Rosalie's request and then she was quickly absorbed in flirting with him heavily.

The next guy that a laid eyes on was rather skinny with blond curly hair. Eww, totally not my type. I was surprised when I saw Alice approach him with a seductive smile. Was that the guy she had pointed out? Well, to each his own I suppose…

I sighed and decided I might as well check out the remaining four guys. It was becoming apparent that my friends would be preoccupied the rest of the night and there didn't seem to be any harm in finding someone to talk to.

Option number one was way too drunk. He had his beer held up in the air and was singing along to a Lady Gaga song while swaying his hips around. Maybe he was just a douche bag but either way I wasn't interested. Option number two was simply just too short. I heard option number three mention a wife and after confirming his marital status by the ring on his finger, I decided to go ahead and move on to option number four.

Bingo.

Number four was tall, toned, and delicious looking. He had dark brown hair with an auburn tint to it that was one hundred percent run-my-hands-through worthy.

That was the first time I saw Edward Cullen.

We locked eye contact quickly and before I could think of something to say he spoke with a sexy smile.

"You look less than thrilled to be led over here by your friends."

"You could say that…" I replied with a smile that I hoped was as sexy as his.

"I'm Edward" He said as he extended his hand to me.

_What's up with the business-like introduction?_

"I'm Bella" I said as I shook his hand.

"Is this supposed to be girls night out?" He asked.

"Not really…just a night out after a bad week." I said with a shrug. "What about you? This looks like it may be a boys night out."

"Sort of…it's a bachelor party" He gestured towards the drunken guy, indicating that he was the bachelor.

"Well he certainly seems to be having a good time"

"Indeed, he does"

I looked over to see Rosalie and her guy taking a round of shots.

"Seems like he's not the only one of your friends that knows how to have a good time…" I said to Edward.

He glanced over at Rosalie and then looked back at me.

"Doesn't seem like your friend is complaining"

"Rosalie? She's on a whole different level…I would be surprised if your friend could even keep up with her…"

"Oh Emmet can hold his own." Edward laughed.

A moment later the two of them took off to go dance, soon followed by Alice and the dude she seemed to be so into. I was hoping that Edward would follow suit and ask me to dance, but I had no such luck. Maybe he just needed a hint.

"I love this song" I commented.

"Can I buy you a drink?" He asked. Fail on my part.

"Uh…no I'm okay, thanks…I'm driving."

A long awkward silence ensued after my obvious attempt at getting him to ask me to dance and his failure to do so. Thankfully, only a few moments later I was approached by an averagely cute guy that I had seen there a couple times before.

"Would you like to dance?" He asked.

"Absolutely"

I gave Edward's lame ass a farewell smile and then strutted my shit to the dance floor.

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I was on a fucking roll that night. It seemed like right when I was done with one guy, a new one would ask me to dance. After a while I was starting to sweat and my feet were starting to hurt from so much dancing.

"Do you know what time it is?" I asked the guy that I was with at the moment. I had given Alice my cell phone since she was wearing jeans with pockets and I had no other way of telling time.

"One thirty" He answered. The club closed at two so I knew I should probably go ahead and track down Alice and Rosalie.

"Thanks for the dance, but I need to get back to my friends"

It took me about five minutes to find Alice, who was surprisingly still with the same guy she had gone after earlier.

"Alice" I called to her. "Twenty five minutes till closing, are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, okay" she called back.

"Where's Rose?" I asked.

"I don't know, haven't seen her since I last saw you…"

"Well come with me to find her so that I don't have to look for you again too."

"Okay"

She gave her number to the guy she had spent most of the night with and then followed me back into the crowd to find Rosalie. We circled around that place for a good ten minutes before I started to get frustrated.

"Where the hell is she?" I asked rhetorically.

"Let's check the bathroom" Alice suggested. We did as she said but there was still no sign as Rosalie. "I'll call her" Alice said.

When we emerged from the ladies room and back out onto the dance floor, Edward's face caught my eye. Maybe he could help.

"Hey" I called out as I walked up to him.

"Oh, uh, hi Bella."

"Where is your friend Emmet?"

"I don't know I haven't seen him since we were talking earlier, why?"

"Because I think Rosalie is still with him and I can't find her anywhere."

"She's not answering her phone" Alice informed me.

"Oh, well I don't know where they are." Edward answered me.

_Is that all you have to say? My friend is missing and you're not even concerned?_

"Obviously not, but she is with _your_ friend…" I answered.

"You don't know that she is still with him and even if she is, I'm not responsible for him."

"Well you're not leaving this club until I find her. That dude may have led her off somewhere and you might be the only way I have of tracking him down."

"I think you need to calm down." Edward said.

"Don't tell me to calm down. My best friend is missing in a bar." I said with some serious attitude.

"They are probably just dancing."

"Even, worse…" I started, ignoring him. "The last time I saw her she was with some shady ass guy that could be having his way with her right now!"

"I don't appreciate you insinua ting that my friend is a date rapist."

"How do I know he's not? I don't know anything about him _or_ you. You could be his wingman, trying to distract me while he leads Rosalie off into some dark ally."

"You're being ridiculous."

"Give me your phone" I said to him.

"Excuse me?" He said in confusion.

"I want to go looking for her and I need to put my number in it in case you find them first."

"Uh…okay" He took his phone out of his pocket and handed it to me.

I programmed my number into it and then sent myself a text so that I would have his number as well. I handed it back to him and then walked off back towards the dance floor without saying another word to him. I didn't want to listen to him talk anymore and I felt like I was just wasting time standing there and not looking for Rosalie.

The bar started to get emptier and emptier as the minutes went by and she was still nowhere to be found. At a minute past two I was starting to panic.

"Bella, your phone is ringing." Alice told me.

I turned around and took my phone from her and then flipped it open.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's Edward"

"Did you find them?"

"Yeah, I finally got a hold of Emmet"

"Well where are they?"

"They uh…apparently decided to go out to the back seat of his car awhile ago."

"Fucking slut…I'm going to kill her"

"Your friend had Emmet tell me that she would meet you back at your car."

I snapped my phone shut without bothering to say goodbye.

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"Are you seriously that mad at me?" Rosalie asked as we walked through the front door of our apartment.

"Yes, Rose, I am. I don't think you understand how badly I was freaking the fuck out." I slammed the front door behind us.

"Well there was no need for that…"

"No need for that? Rosalie, you don't just leave your friends at a bar to go roll around in the back of a car with some guy you don't even know and not even tell anyone where the fuck you were going!"

"Look, I'm sorry…" She tried to follow me to my room but I slammed the door in her face.

I threw my shit down on my desk and sighed. I was so tired and pissed off that all I wanted to do was go to sleep. I kicked off Rosalie's shoes, peeled my dress and my bra off, and then climbed into my bed and burrowed under the warm covers. I was half asleep when I heard my phone vibrate on my desk. I considered ignoring but it would just bug me not knowing who it was as I tried to fall asleep. I pushed the covers back and stumbled around in the dark until I found it. I took it back to bed with me and didn't open it until I was snuggled up again.

"_Hey, did you get home with your friend alright_?"

It was a text from a number I didn't recognize but I assumed was Edward. I checked the last received call from the same number and confirmed my suspicion.

"_Ya we r fine."_

Not like he cared. He was a royal asshole about the whole thing.

"_I'm sorry if I was being rude earlier. I realize in hindsight that you were just very worried about your friend_."

Okay what was up with the whole texting in such proper English thing? It reminded me of my dad.

"_Its cool. Dnt worry about it" _

"_I'd like to try and redeem myself. Can I take you out to dinner tomorrow?"_

Did he seriously just ask me out? Well…he _did_ have the decency to apologize to me and he _was_ extremely good looking.

"_Sure I guess so_"

Did I really just agree to go out with a guy that I met at a club?

"_Great. Does seven work for you?"_

"_Ya seven is fine"_

"_Where can I pick you up?"_

"_Westwood apartments. #324"_

"_Sound good. I'll see you tomorrow Bella"_

"_Ok"_

Well this should make for an interesting Saturday night.


	2. Jailbait

**A/N: Don't own anything…**

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**BPOV**

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After some serious internal debate on what to wear for my date with Edward, I decided on some tight jeans and a sexy new top from the buckle that I hadn't gotten the chance to wear yet. I curled my long brown hair into loose waves and sexed myself up a little with some make-up.

Rosalie had been at work all day so I hadn't gotten the chance to talk to her about the previous night. I was still pretty upset by her irresponsible behavior, but I wasn't nearly as pissed off as I was when we had gotten home last night.

I was normally bad with punctuality but thankfully by the time Edward knocked on my door I was just slipping on my heels. I grabbed my purse, ruffled my hair up a little bit for some volume, and then went to greet him.

"Hey" I said with a smile as I opened the door.

"Hello, Bella. You look…stunning."

"Thank you. You don't look too shabby yourself."

That was an understatement. This guy dazzled with perfection and sexiness. He had on some jeans that I recognized as a very expensive brand, a simple grey T shirt that clung to his arm muscles in all the right ways, and a brown leather belt that accentuated just how low his jeans hung on his hips.

"Shall we?" he asked as he motioned down the staircase that led to the parking lot.

"We shall." I shut and locked the door behind me and then followed him down the steps and to his car. I was impressed to find that he drove a range rover…sophisticated and yet still manly. "I like your car" I commented as he opened the passenger side door for me. Another plus…he appeared to be a gentleman. He smiled and then shut my door and walked around to the driver's side.

"Thank you." He said as he got in. "I had wanted this car since the day I got my license so as soon as I could afford it I went for it.

"Nice" I said as I nodded my head. "You've even got all the hook-ups..." The car featured a built-in GPS and a touch screen in dash deck stereo.

"If you're gonna do it, do it right." He said with a soft chuckle.

"I like that…good motto to live by."

"I like to think so."

"So where are we going to be dining this fine evening?"

"Basilio's...It's my favorite Italian place around here."

"I've never been there."

"Really? You're missing out, it's delicious. I can't believe you have never been it's one of the only good Italian places in Pullman."

"Yeah, well, I don't go out to eat a whole lot…I would rather cook."

"Yeah? You cook a lot?"

"Mhmm. I enjoy it and I'm used to it. I cooked for my dad all the time growing up…mostly because if I didn't nobody else would. My parents divorced when I was really young and my dad never seemed to acquire such skills as laundry and cooking."

"Well your dad and I have that in common" He said with a laugh. "The menu in my kitchen pretty much only consists of grilled cheese or macaroni."

"Typical guy…" I mused.

The restaurant was nicer than I expected it to be. I had driven by the place a few times and the outside of the building didn't do it justice. He opened my door for me when we got there and even pulled my chair out for me as we sat down.

"So, as I said last night…I want to apologize being rude to you at the club." He said as we waited for our server.

"It's okay, really. It wasn't a big deal…I was pretty rude to you too."

"You were just trying to watch out for your friend. I should have tried to be more helpful."

I smiled politely and nodded.

"Well thank you for the apology."

"You're welcome."

We sunk into a slightly uncomfortable silence but thankfully our waitress arrived a moment later.

"How are you two doing this evening?" She asked with a warm smile.

"Fine, thank you." Edward replied.

"Are you ready to order?" They both looked at me and I nodded.

"I'll have the pesto fettuccini." I said and then closed my menu and handed it to her. She nodded and then turned to Edward.

"I'll have the carbonaro pasta." He said and then gave his menu to her as well.

"Okay, I'll have that right out."

"Pesto…good choice." Edward said after she walked away.

"We'll see if it's as good as mine." I said with a smug smile.

"You know how to make pesto sauce?"

"Why do you seem so surprised? I told you I like to cook." I laughed

"Pesto sauce just seems so difficult to make." He shrugged.

"Not really, you just need a blender."

"Well you will have to let me know how it compares to yours." He said with a chuckle.

"So, do you go to Washington State?" I asked a few moments later.

"I did. I graduated from there."

"Oh, really? So what do you do?"

"I'm uh…I'm in the medical field."

In the medical field? His vague answer made me feel like he was being a little shady. Was he a male nurse or something?

"What part of the medical field?" I asked suspiciously.

If this guy was a male nurse then this was just not going to work out.

"I'm a pediatric surgeon."

A pediatric surgeon? Wow. This dude had graduated from WSU _and_ been to medical school.

"Wow, that's pretty impressive." I tried to calculate how old he must be in my head…definitely a lot older than me. "So um, if you don't mind me asking…how old are you? I know that medical school takes a long time so…"

"I'm thirty." Well, shit. This was going to be awkward. "What about you? I'm assuming you're a student at WSU, since you asked."

"Um yeah…" I might as well just go ahead and put it out there. It was going to be awkward when he found out how much younger than him I was so better sooner than later I guess. "I'm a freshman."

His eyes widened a little for a brief moment.

"Oh…wow…you uh…" he paused and laughed nervously. "You certainly don't look your age, that's for sure."

"That's what I've been told." I looked down and toyed with my napkin timidly.

"What does that make you, nineteen?"

"Um…eighteen, actually…"

His eyes widened again and he shook his head.

"You must think I'm a huge creep."

"What?"

"Being thirty and asking out an eighteen year old girl…" I didn't like the way he said girl, he made it sound like I was a child. "I don't want you to think that I'm some douche bag who hangs around at the bar trying to pick up teenage girls."

"You didn't know…"

"No, I didn't." He sounded defensive.

I looked away awkwardly and then we sat in a tense silence until the waitress came back with our food.

"Careful, these are insanely hot…" She warned as she put our plates down in front of us.

"Thank you" Edward mumbled to her. When I finally dared to look at him he started laughing coldly.

"What's funny?" I asked

"Nothing, it's just…" His sarcastic laughter died out and he picked up his fork. "This _would_ happen to me."

_Wow…way to make me feel like a complete piece of shit just for being eighteen._

"What do you mean?"

"I uh…haven't been on a date in a very long time. I just find it amusing that when I finally decide to ask someone out she ends up being _eighteen_." It was really starting to irritate me now that he was making it sound like I was a little kid.

"Oh." I picked up my fork and started eating.

"I'm sorry…that sounded bad. I wasn't trying to be rude I ju– "

"It's fine." I said, cutting him off.

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**EPOV**

"Hello?"

"She's fucking _eighteen_, jazz."

"What are you talking about?"

"Bella…the girl from the club. She's fucking _eighteen…_" He started laughing. "It's not funny, asshole."

"I know, I know…" He said as his laughter died out. "I'm sorry…really, I am. That sucks, dude. Alice is twenty one. I just assumed they were all the same age."

"Yeah, well, apparently not."

"I'm sorry, man. I know you were pretty into her."

"I wasn't _into_ her, I don't even know her, I just…I don't know. I guess there was just something about her…" I didn't know how to explain that attraction I had felt to Bella.

"A nice ass?" He suggested.

"No, you pervert. About her personality…there is just something so light and simple about her."

"Yeah…the innocence of a child." He laughed again and I cringed.

"I'm going to hell."

"It's not a big deal, dude. Where are you at?"

"I'm on my way over there right now, I just dropped her off. How's Chelsea?"

"She's fine. She passed out on the couch halfway through Finding Nemo." I laughed at the mental image of my little girl fighting to stay awake to get to her favorite part with the sea turtles. "So I take it you're not going out with jailbait again?" He asked.

"Eighteen, Jazz…eighteen."

"Did she seem into you?"

"No. I'm thirty years old…I think there was a mutual opinion of me being way too old for her."

"Bummer. Alright well hurry up, dude, I've got places to be."

"I'll be there in a few minutes."

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**BPOV**

What a disaster. That definitely qualified for one of the most awkward dates of my life.

I walked through my front door to find Rosalie curled up in a blanket on the couch watching TV. She looked at me like I was about to kill her dog.

"Don't worry; I'm not mad at you." She sighed heavily and then took off talking at rapid speed.

"Oh thank God…I'm so sorry, Bella. I know I was stupid I just wasn't thinking and I was pretty drunk and I should have told you where I was going. I won't do that to you again, I promise. If there is anything I can do to –"

"Stop, Rose, its fine…"

"Good." She said with a relieved smile. "So…now that we've got that cleared up, where may I ask did you go looking all sexified?"

I sighed and sat down next to her.

"I went out with that guy from the bar that I was talking to."

"Really?" she squealed.

"Yes, but don't get too excited...I have no plans to see him again."

"Was he no good?" She asked sadly.

"Well it wasn't him…he was fine. He was a gentleman, he opened all of my doors me for and everything, _and _he is a doctor." She raised her eyebrows at me. "…but he's thirty."

"And?" She asked in a tone that sounded like I had personally offended her.

"And he's too old for me."

"Bella, you score yourself a hot doctor and you're going to write him off for being thirty?"

"Yes."

"That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard you say."

"He's twelve years older than me, Rose."

"So? Why does that matter?"

"I can't even begin to imagine what people would think…"

"So? That doesn't matter either."

"Even if I was okay with it, I doubt that he would want anything to do with an eighteen year old girl."

"You forgot to mention _hot, sexy, intelligent, fun,_ eighteen year old girl. If you want in his pants…you can get in his pants, sweetheart."


	3. Happy Halloween

**A/N: Of course, I don't own shit. Unfortunately. **

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**BPOV**

Three weeks had gone by since my date with Edward. Rosalie was still badgering me to try and see him again, but I just couldn't get over the age thing. Besides, I was pretty sure he wouldn't be interested in an eighteen year old girl and I didn't need to feel even more embarrassed when he turned me down. To make things worse, Alice was totally on Rosalie's side. She had gone out with Jasper quite a few times since they had hit it off at the club and she seemed to love the idea of me going out with his friend. Jasper was twenty seven and Alice was twenty one, so their age difference wasn't a big deal to her. Edward, however, was twelve years older than me and that was just something I couldn't seem to get past. Surprisingly, Rosalie hadn't seen Emmett again. She claimed that once you engaged in a one night stand with someone it was just an unspoken rule that it would be left at that.

Rosalie and I had just finished giving each other pedicures when my phone started buzzing on the floor next to me.

"Hello?"

"Are you and Rose both at home?" Alice asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"I'm on my way over to pick you guys up."

"Um…okay. Are we just going on a Friday afternoon drive or what?"

"We're going to the costume store down the street from your place."

"Aren't we a little old for trick or treating, Alice?"

I was pretty sure that wasn't what she was planning, but she wasn't giving me much insight as to what was going on.

"Jasper is having a Halloween party tomorrow night and we need to find costumes."

Halloween wasn't until Wednesday but it made sense that he would want to have his party over the weekend.

"Uh, okay…text me when you get here and we will come downstairs."

"Kay, bye."

"What was that about?" Rosalie asked after I hung up.

"Alice's man is having a Halloween party tomorrow and she wants us to go."

"Yay!" She squealed excitedly. "I love Halloween parties!"

"She's on her way here to pick us up and go to the costume store."

An hour later I was starting to think that there was no Halloween costume suitable for me. Rosalie was set on being a sexy devil and Alice was more than willing to be the sexy angel, but that was a little too cliché for me. The two of them had made numerous suggestions but I wasn't interested in being the typical sexy nurse, police woman, or teacher.

"What about a bumble bee?" Alice proposed.

"No."

"What about a playboy bunny?" She asked.

"No."

"What about a cheerleader?"

"No."

"Bella!" Rosalie called from the next aisle over. "I found the perfect one!" She appeared a moment later holding a black and white get up. "A sexy referee! You love football, it's perfect for you…and it's not all that cliché either." I looked at the costume for a moment thoughtfully. It did seem to fit my personality and at this point I just wanted to get something and get out of there.

"I'll try it on…" I mumbled as I walked over and took it from her.

I took the referee costume behind the curtain of the dressing room and then stripped down to my bra and panties. I stepped into the black and white striped dress and then pulled it up and slid my arms in the sleeves. I adjusted my boobs into it and then took a step back and looked myself over in the mirror. I turned around to look at my backside and popped my booty a few times so I could see what I would like dancing in it. It definitely wasn't unflattering to my assets in the back. I turned back around to look at the front again. The dress gave me some serious cleavage but it also covered my stomach so I didn't feel like I was in lingerie. I slid on the white knee-high tube socks that came with the outfit and then pulled the curtain and did a spin for Alice and Rosalie.

"What do you think?" I asked.

"You look hot!" Rosalie said.

"It does make my butt look good…" I said as I looked over my shoulder into the mirror again.

"Hell yes it does." Alice agreed.

"What shoes would I wear with it?" I asked.

"Some sexy black heels." Alice said.

"That's definitely the one." Rosalie nodded.

"Alright…why not, I guess."

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Jasper's house was nicer than I expected it to be. It wasn't fancy, but for someone who hadn't been out of college very long, it was impressive. Alice told me that he had a roommate named Ryan but he was out of town for the weekend. I didn't know a lot about Jasper but it was clear that he knew how to throw a party. There were more people there than I expected and almost everyone was dancing. The kitchen table was covered with any type of alcohol you could think of and to top it all off, he had the hottest music playing with the base turned up.

"Your man sure knows how to throw a party" I commented to Alice as the three of us made ourselves a drink. She smiled and then started looking around.

"Speaking of my man…I wonder where he is."

"Who cares…" said Rosalie. "Let's go dance."

"Okay!" Alice agreed with a smile.

We alternated from the kitchen to the dance floor for a while until Rosalie made a discovery about forty five minutes later.

"Bitches, there is a keg in the back yard!" Her and Alice both squealed excitedly and headed for the back door. I however, was on my fourth vodka and cranberry and I felt like my bladder was about to explode. I wasn't drunk yet but I was definitely feeling a pleasant buzz.

"I'll meet you all out there in a minute, I need to pee…"

"Okay, the bathroom is in that hallway to the left." Alice told me.

I locked the bathroom door behind me and rushed to the toilet. I think that was the longest I had ever peed in my life. I washed my hands quickly and then looked over myself in the mirror to make sure I still looked good. I adjusted my boobs in my bra, fluffed my hair, wiped away some smudged eyeliner, and then headed back out into the hallway. I swung the door open and felt it hit something solid behind it.

"Shit!" I heard someone yell.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry…" I moved to the side of the door and then closed it behind me to find none other than Edward standing there in front of me. Great. It hadn't even crossed my mind that he would be here. "Edward…" I said in surprise.

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**EPOV**

I couldn't stop my eyes from traveling up and down her body. She looked incredible. Her chestnut brown hair was curled into perfect cascading waves, the way she had done her make-up made her eyes look hypnotizing, and that _outfit_. I had to fight with myself to keep my mind clear.

_Look at that cleavage…_

Eighteen, Edward.

_That dress clings to her hips perfectly…_

Eighteen, Edward…

_Those legs…_

Eighteen, Edward!

"Edward…" She finally said in surprise.

"Bella…Uh…hi, how are you?"

"I'm fine, how are you?"

"Fine."

"Um, so, sorry about hitting you with the door."

"It's okay; I guess we're even now for me being a douche to you at the club that night."

"Yeah, I guess so." We just stood there staring at each other awkwardly for too long. "Well, um, I'm going to go find my friends now…"

"Okay."

When she turned to walk away my eyes were treated to the best part of her outfit. The sexy referee dress barely covered her ass and clung to it perfectly. This girl was going to kill me…or at least earn me a spot in hell.

When I recovered from my lust induced state I made my way to the living room where I found Jasper changing the CD in the stereo.

"Did you know that she would be here?" I asked as I walked up to him.

"Did I know who would be here?" he asked as he skimmed through his music options.

"Bella."

"Who? Oh, jailbait?" I rolled my eyes.

"Yes…"

Ever since Jasper had found out how old she was he had only referred to her as jailbait.

"No. I mean, Alice mentioned that she might bring her and that girl that Emmett boned but I didn't know for sure."

"Is that why you tried so hard to get me to come over here tonight?"

I never came to Jasper's parties but he had been oddly persistent about this one in particular.

"No. I tried so hard to get you to come over here because I knew that Chelsea was at the lake with your mom this weekend and I wanted you to get out of the house for some seriously needed adult time…" I sighed. "It's not a big deal, man. You're acting like you can't even be in the same house as her without feeling immoral."

"Yeah, well…you haven't seen what she's wearing…" I mumbled. Jasper laughed and put his hand on my shoulder.

"Dude, if you want her then just –" He stopped talking and his eyes focused on something across the room.

"What?"

I turned around to find what he was looking at and then I was left speechless as well. Bella and her two friends had entered the living room and were now grinding up on each other seductively. As if she hadn't already been driving me crazy enough, Bella was sandwiched between the two other girls and they were both swaying down her body, making her look like a sex goddess.

"Jesus _Christ…_" Jasper whispered.

"Yeah…" I said in a breathy voice.

"Take this." He said, handing me his beer.

I took it and then watched as he went over and grabbed Alice. They moved away from the other two girls and then I was left feeling like a pervert as I stood there alone staring at Bella while she kept dancing with the other girl. Bella turned around, leaned forward a little, and then started fucking _gyrating_ her ass in the other girl's crotch. Great, now I was thinking about bending the eighteen year old girl over and…

Before I even knew what was happening Bella was on the floor clutching her knee and groaning in pain. I hadn't seen what happened because to be honest, my eyes were focused on her ass. I rushed over to her without even thinking about it. I couldn't explain why but for some reason I felt protective over her.

"Are you okay?" I asked as I knelt down by her side.

"No!" She yelled and then I saw two tears fall from the corner of each of her eyes.

I looked down and then moved her hand away from her knee so that I could look at it. I winced sympathetically when I saw a piece of glass from a broken beer bottle wedged into her leg right underneath her kneecap. I knew that she had to be in a great deal of pain.

"You fucking asshole!" I heard Rosalie yell from behind me.

I turned around in confusion, thinking that she was talking to me, but saw her yelling in someone else's face. By this time, everyone around us had stopped dancing. I stood up and got in between Rosalie and the guy.

"What happened?" I asked her.

"This fucking creep was trying to dance on us and then even though we were obviously not interested, he tried to fucking worm his way between us, and then he fucking tripped Bella."

I looked down to find Bella staring up at us like a deer in headlights.

"Chill the fuck out you crazy fucking bitch, it was an accident."

"Hey!" I yelled, turning on the guy who was clearly wasted. It bothered me when men talked to women that way. "You need to calm down, man. I think you've had enough to drink…"

"Is this your fucking house you fucking prick?"

I looked over at Jasper who quickly stepped in and asked the douche bag to leave. I Heard Bella yelp in pain and then looked down to find her trying to get up off the ground.

"Bella, you can't stand on that leg…" I knelt down and picked her up, bridal style with my arm hooked under her knees, and then carried her off to Jasper's bathroom in the master bedroom. I knew that's where any medical supplies that he had would be.

I sat her down on the counter and then started digging around in Jasper's cabinets for anything I could use. I was thankfully able to find some hydrogen peroxide, some gauze, and some bandages.

"Thanks…" she muttered as I sat the supplies down on the counter next to her.

"For what?" I asked. I really hadn't even thought twice about taking care of her. Maybe it was just my doctor instincts…at least I hoped that's all it was.

"For helping me…and standing up for Rosalie…" I couldn't decide if she was drunk or if she was just slurring her words because she was in a lot of pain.

"It's no problem." I washed my hands and then moved to stand in front of her. I decided it was probably better not tell her what I was about to do. The anticipation might make it worse. I grabbed onto the piece of glass and pulled it out of her leg quickly. I sat it down on the counter and then pressed some gauze to her wound to stop the bleeding. She took my free hand in hers and squeezed it.

"It hurts…" She explained as I looked up at her in surprise.

"I bet it does…but you're handling it impressively well."

"Thank God for the alcohol in my system."

She was probably right, that probably helped with the pain. When I thought the bleeding had slowed down enough I removed the gauze from her leg and put it on the counter next to her. She looked at it and made a disgusted face. Being a doctor, I sometimes forgot that the sight of blood wasn't a normal or easy thing for most people to see. I released her hand so that I could put some of the hydrogen peroxide on a cotton pad and rubbed it over her wound. She handled that part like a pro.

"Does that not sting?" I asked.

"It does but I'm pretty clumsy…me and hydrogen peroxide are like this." She held up her hand and twisted two of her fingers together.

I laughed and then put the cotton pad down and bandaged her knee up. I looked up at her face to find her looking significantly paler than she had been a moment ago.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, it's just…" She glanced over at the bloody gauze sitting next to her. "I don't do well with blood…at all."

"Oh…sorry." I picked up the gauze and cotton pad and tossed them in the trashcan.

"Edward?"

"Yeah?" I said, turning towards the sink and turning on the water to wash my hands again.

"I think I'm gonna throw up."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes."

She certainly looked queasy enough to throw up.

"Um…okay…"

I turned the water back off and then picked her up off the counter and set her down in front of the toilet. I sat down on the side of the tub so that she was knelt down between my legs with her back towards me. Sure enough, she started throwing up into the toilet only a moment later. I determined that it was probably caused by a combination of alcohol and her low tolerance for blood. I gathered her hair in my hands and held it back. Being in my position probably would have grossed out most people but being a doctor _and_ having a four year old little girl made me pretty tolerant to the sound of vomit.

When she finally sat back up and flushed the toilet, I knew that she was done. I got up and helped her get on her feet and then hobble over to the sink. I rummaged through a drawer until I found one of the extra toothbrushes that I happened to know Jasper kept in the event that he had a girl sleep over. When I looked up, my heart broke to find her face in the mirror with silent tears running down her cheeks.

"What's wrong?" I asked, concerned.

"Nothing…I just really hate throwing up." I gave her a sympathetic look and then loaded the toothbrush I had found with some toothpaste and handed it to her.

"Thanks…" She brushed her teeth thoroughly and then rinsed and threw the toothbrush away. "That feels a lot better…" I turned her towards me and wiped some tears away from her face.

"You okay?"

"I want to go home."

I nodded.

"Did you drive here?"

"No…" she said as she shook her head.

"I'll take you." She looked at me for a long moment as if she were thinking about saying no.

"Okay." She finally said.

I text messaged Jasper and told him I was leaving and she text messaged Rosalie telling her that I was taking her home. I picked her up again the same way I had before and then carried her out to my car and helped her in, throwing those sexy black heels of hers in the back seat. When we arrived outside of her apartment I parked and carried her up the stairs. I put her down so that she could unlock the door.

"Home sweet home." She said as she opened door.

"Do you want me to help you inside?" I offered.

"No, I'll be okay. I think I can hobble my way to my bed."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, well…you should stay off of that leg as much as possible."

"Will do, doctor." Unexpectedly, she leaned up and placed a soft kiss on my cheek. "Thank you for everything."

"You're welcome." I said as she pulled away with I'm sure a goofy smile on my face.

_Maybe twelve years isn't all that bad_, I thought as I drove home.


	4. I Want to Get Into Edward's pants

**BPOV**

I woke up the morning after Jasper's Halloween party and my mind immediately started racing with thoughts. My first thought was that my leg still hurt pretty badly. My second thought was that I wanted fuck Edward.

At first, my attraction to Edward had been purely physical, but after last night it was more than that. He was so quick to take care of me and there was just something about him that I was becoming more and more drawn to. The more that I thought about the age thing, the less of a big deal it seemed to be. I mean, I can't just write someone off for being a little bit older right? And even if I did pursue him…it's not like I'm saying we would be getting married. We could just see where things go. After our date three weeks ago it had been apparent to me that Edward thought I was too young for him, but I wasn't getting that same vibe from him last night. Besides, I couldn't stop thinking about what he would be like in bed. He was just too damn sexy for his own good.

"Rose!" I called from my bed. Normally I would have gotten up and went to her room, but my leg still hurt and I didn't want to put any weight on it.

"What's up?" she asked as she opened my door.

"Remember what you were saying about if I wanted to get into Edward's pants?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, I want to get into Edward's pants." She smiled at me deviously and then came to sit on the edge of my bed.

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**EPOV**

"Daddy?" Chelsea asked as she looked up from her coloring book. We were both sitting at the kitchen table and I was writing checks to pay the bills.

"Yeah, princess?"

"Why do birds poop white?" I looked up at her and tried to suppress a laugh. My daughter's mind never ceased to amaze me.

"I don't know; that's a good question."

"Do you think that if I ate the same things that a bird ate that I would poop white too?"

"Maybe...but I don't think you would want to find out."

"Why not?"

"Because birds eat yucky things and if you ate like a bird then you couldn't have any cookies."

"I love cookies."

"I know you do, my little cookie monster."

"Daddy?" she asked again a few moments later.

"Yeah?"

"What did you do when I was gone with grandma?"

"I spent some time with Uncle Jasper and worked."

"Were you lonely without me?"

"Of course I was. I always miss you when you're not with me." I looked up to see a smug smile spread across my little girl's face while she colored.

"I missed you too, Daddy." She said after a moment.

"Not as much as I missed you, baby."

"Daddy…" she sighed dramatically and put her crayon down. "I told you not to call me that. I'm going to go to kindergarten next year and you have to start treating me like a big girl."

"Sorry, princess. I forgot." I said while trying to fight some more laughter. My phone starting vibrating on the table next to me and I picked it up to find I was receiving a call from a number I didn't recognize.

"Edward Cullen." I answered.

"Edward, hi…it's Bella." I was surprised to hear from her. It had been a week now since Jasper's party.

"Hey, how's that leg doing?"

"It's a lot better, thanks. That's actually why I was calling…I wanted to thank you again for everything you did for me. I would have been pretty screwed if you hadn't been there."

"It was no problem." I assured her. "I'm glad I was there to help." And see you in that incredible costume, I thought.

"That was pretty cool of you to help me out even after I hit you with a door." She said.

"I'm a pretty cool guy." Did I really just say that?

"So I was trying to think of some way to repay you now that I'm all healed and I was thinking maybe I could cook you dinner?" was this her showing interest? I felt Chelsea watching me curiously, probably wondering who I was talking to, so I got up and walked into the living room out of her earshot.

"Uh…yeah…" I stammered nervously. "Yeah, that would be cool."

"Is tonight good for you?" Tonight? My first instinct was no but I really wanted to see her so my mind starting conjuring up ways I could make it work.

"Yeah, okay, I can do tonight."

"Is your place okay? Rosalie is having some guy over tonight so I'm kind of looking for an excuse to get out of here.

"Um, sure, my place is fine."

"Great. How about you text me directions and I'll see you around seven?"

"Sounds good." After hanging up with Bella I immediately dialed my mom.

"Hello?"

"Hey, mom. It's Edward."

"Hi, honey!"

"Hey, uh, I have a favor to ask you."

"Sure, sweetie what is it?"

"Do you think you could take Chelsea tonight?"

"Of course. Is everything okay?" I knew she would ask that. It was rare that I asked her to babysit for me on a Saturday night such short notice.

"Yeah, something just came up that's all."

"Oh…okay." I could tell in her voice that she was curious, but she wasn't the type to pry.

"I'll drop her off around six thirty?"

"Sure, that's fine."

"Great, thanks mom." I hung up with her and went back to sit down at the kitchen table.

"What do you think about going to hang out with Grandma tonight?" I asked my daughter. She looked up at me excitedly.

"Do you think she'll make cookies with me!"

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**BPOV**

I should have expected that Edward would live in a really nice house…he was a _doctor_ after all. After quickly checking my reflection in the review of mirror of my car, and got out and headed to the front door with my groceries. I rang the door bell and waited.

"Hey, Bella." He said as he opened the door.

"Hey."

"Here, let me get those for you." He took the grocery bags out of my hands and then I closed the door behind me.

"Thanks." Even the entry way of his house was amazing. To my right I could see the dining room, to my left was what appeared to be an office, and off to the right a little bit was a large grand staircase. As he led me straight ahead and then two the right and down a hallway to the kitchen I got to see even more of the house. Past the kitchen table way a bay window with long panes that looked out over a gorgeous pool. "Your house is incredible." I told him.

"Thank you" He said. "I designed it with my Grandfather."

"You designed this house yourself?" I asked in amazement.

"Yeah" He looked away modestly. "So, what's on the menu?" He asked as he looked into the grocery bags.

"Sautéed chicken with garlic mashed potatoes and green beans." He looked me as if he was surprised and then smiled.

"That sounds delicious, what can I do to help?"

"You can show me where the pots and pans are." Once he showed me where everything I was, I washed the chicken and then started cutting it up on a cutting board while he leaned up against the counter with his arms folded over his chest.

"So where are you from? I'm assuming that you moved here to go to WSU."

"Yeah, I'm from forks."

"And it was just you and your dad?"

"Yup, he's police chief there."

"Do you miss home?"

"Not really, Rosalie and Alice are both from forks too and the last two years that I was there without them I was pretty much just waiting to come to WSA."

"Alice and Jasper seem to have really hit it off." He commented.

"Yeah…they have only known each other four weeks and they're inseparable." I put some butter in a sauce pan and then turned the stove on and starting cooking the chicken and mushrooms.

"Is there something else I can do to help?" He asked as I started chopping up the potatoes.

"Nope. This is my form of payment for your medical services." I looked up at him as he laughed and couldn't help but notice his perfect smile.

"Speaking of which, your leg seems to be doing a lot better."

"And I didn't even need to learn to walk again."

"Do you want something to drink?" He asked as he opened the refrigerator.

"Just water." He took out a water bottle and set it on the counter and then took out a beer for himself and popped the cap off.

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?" He asked.

"Nope…just me. What about you?"

"Same. My mother wanted more children but she had a difficult time conceiving. She always called me her miracle baby. She was never able to get pregnant before or after me."

"That's so sad…" I said. "I don't think either of my parents wanted more than one child."

"Well, thankfully she has Jasper. His mom wasn't really around and he has always loved letting my mother pamper him. He is like a second son to her and she is like the mom he never had."

"How long have you known him?" I asked as I poured the diced potatoes into some boiling water.

"We've been best friends since junior high. He even lived with me his last two years of high school after his mom overdosed on painkillers."

"Wow. Well he seems to have done a good job of getting himself out of that situation and making a better life for himself."

"He has…Japers a good guy."

"Good, because I don't let my friends date losers." He smiled and took a sip of beer while I flipped the chicken over.

"It seems that your friends are just as protective of you. Rosalie was ready to kick some ass for you at Jasper's party." I laughed at the memory.

"Rose is definitely a feisty one; she'll jump at the excuse to get in someone's face."

"Yeah, she seems that way."

"You would think that it would be the other way around since she is three years older than me, but it seems like I'm usually the one taking care of her."

"Well age isn't everything."

"No, it's not."

In fact, I was starting to forget about age when I was around him. I saw him more now as Edward than the thirty year old guy who is too old for me. The potatoes were soft enough now so I drained them and starting mashing. I added some milk, butter, and garlic and then everything was complete.

"Dinner's ready!" I announced happily.

"It smells delicious." He retrieved the dishes and silverware and then we loaded up our plates and sat down at the table. "Mmmm, I was right. This is incredible, Bella." He said after taking his first few bites.

"Thank you." I said with a wide smile.

"So what are you going to school for, have you decided on a major?"

"I've always known my major. Early childhood education." I looked up at him from my plate and he looked impressed.

"You like kids?"

"Absolutely. I think I would rather hang around a bunch of kids than a bunch of adults."

"Really?"

"Yup." He was giving me a very thoughtful look. "What?"

"I uh…I have a four year old daughter." His expression turned from thoughtfulness to nervousness.

"Awhhh, really?" I said excitedly.

I loved kids and if I wasn't going to write him off for being twelve years older then there was no reason to write him off for having a little girl. He clearly didn't have an issue being able to support her and I saw no problem with it.

"What's her name?" His expression now looked more like relieved.

"Chelsea."

"That's adorable; can I see a picture of her?"

"Uh…yeah, sure." He stood up, looking a little surprised at my excitement and walked towards the refrigerator.

He took down a picture that had been magneted to the side that I didn't notice and then came back to the table and sat down. He handed it to me and my mouth dropped at the adorable little girl I was looking at. The picture was of her and Edward and she was perched on his lap with a huge smile on her face.

"She is…beautiful." I said when I couldn't think of a better word. She was gorgeous and adorably cute all at the same time.

"Thank you." He said with a proud smile. "She's my whole world." He got a certain sparkle in his eye when he talked about his daughter. It was cute.

"So, if you don't mind me asking. What's the situation with her mother?" I didn't know if that was rude to ask but I wanted to know.

"Its fine, I don't mind talking about it. Her mother's name is Tanya. I met her my junior year of high school. We were friends for awhile and then we started dating when we both ended up at WSU. We had sort of an off and on relationship throughout college and afterwards. We were both surprised when she found out she was pregnant, but I was determined to do things right. Neither of us believed in abortion and I couldn't stand the thought of putting my baby up for adoption so I asked Tanya to move in with me when she was about six months along and before I knew it we had a beautiful baby girl. Tanya's personality changed greatly after Chelsea was born. She became extremely difficult to deal with but I was committed to making things work with her for my daughter's sake. Things only got progressively worse until finally it all fell apart. Two weeks after Chelsea's first birthday she disappeared. She didn't even tell me where she was going. She just left me alone with our baby and a letter telling me that she didn't want to be a mother and this wasn't a life that she wanted to live. We never married so it was easy for her to just leave like the whole thing had never happened. She signed papers to give up all parental rights to me a month later. I had this house built after Tanya left because I wanted a fresh start for Chelsea and I." I just sat there staring at him for a few moments before I spoke. I couldn't believe that someone could be so selfish. I could only imagine how hard it would be to give your baby up for adoption, but how could you leave your little baby after a whole year?

"Edward…" My voice was sad and quiet. "I'm so sorry that happened to you. That must have been so hard for you to deal with."

"It was certainly…_difficult._ Tanya quit working when she moved in with me and I had supported her ever since. I worked hard to provide for her and Chelsea, so consequently I missed out on a lot of time with my baby. Tanya stayed home all day and took care of her so it was very overwhelming to be left with this little baby girl and be faced with supporting _and_ taking care of her."

"I can only imagine…" I muttered.

"Thankfully, my mother has been very helpful with her."

"And you went through all of this while making a career for yourself as a doctor?" I asked in amazement.

"It's important to me to always be able to provide for my daughter."

"But I mean…you're not _that_ old. You can't have been through med school for that long. Shouldn't you still be in your residency? Not that I'm trying to pry. It just seems like you shouldn't be so established in your career already…to have such a nice house and everything."

"Well the trust fund from my grandparents certainly helped with the house and my daughter's expenses. And the reason I'm so established in my career is because I got a bit of a head start. I graduated high school about a year and a half early so therefore I started college early as well."

The way I had perceived Edward up until now seemed foolish after hearing all of that. I had looked at him as a smart, sexy, hot, and gentlemanly guy…but he was so much more than that. He was amazing. By this time we were both done eating and leaning back in our chairs as we talked. Well, more like he talked and I listened to his heartbreaking story. I reached out and put my hand over his on the table.

"Thank you for sharing that with me."

My motion to touch him had nothing to do with trying to put moves on him. After hearing what he had been through with his daughter I had an infinite amount of respect for this man and I just felt the need to comfort him in any way that I possibly could. He smiled at me and I smiled back. After a moment of just looking at each other I moved my hand off of his and picked her picture up again.

"She looks like you." I commented as I gazed down at her big green eyes.

Her face was very similar to his and the only major difference between them was that she had golden hair versus his which was more auburn.

"I like to think so." He said with a smile.

"Is she with your mom right now?" he nodded and I immediately felt guilty. "I'm sorry. I don't like thinking that I'm the reason for taking away time she could be spending with you."

"Oh you don't have to worry; Chelsea jumps any chance she gets to go see grandma…she spoils that kid rotten." He said with a chuckle.

"She's lucky to have such an amazing Daddy."

He smiled at me warmly.

"I'm lucky to have her as well. She came as such a surprise but I can't imagine my life without her now."

It touched my heart that he was still sweet enough to view his little girl as a blessing even after all the complications her birth had caused in his life. I was starting to desire this man in even more ways than I had before.

"After I do these dishes I want to see the rest of your beautiful home." I said as I picked up both of our plates and then headed towards the sink.

"You don't have to do the dishes, Bella. You already went through enough trouble cooking this amazing meal for me."

"I'm still repaying you for your services." I reminded him as I started rinsing things and putting them in the dishwasher.

"I have to admit…" He said as he brought the rest of the dishes to the sink. "I didn't expect you to be that good of a cook, I'm very impressed."

"Glad you enjoyed it." I said with a smile.

After we finished with the dishes we headed off on the tour that I wanted. However, I only got to see a few rooms before I was distracted and not interested in a tour anymore.

"You have a pool table!" I stated excitedly as we entered a room with a huge stereo system and of course, a pool table.

"You like pool?"

"Me and my stepdad, Phil, used to play all the time."

"You any good?"

"Are you kidding?" I said as I turned to look at him with a smile. "I'm a pro…"

"I have a feeling you might be all talk." He said as he stood on the other side of the table with his hands in his pockets. I laughed as I slid my hand across the green felt and then went to the rack on the wall and grabbed two pool cues.

"Wanna see my skills?" I asked as I extended one out to him.

"What about the tour?"

"It can wait." I said as I nodded towards the cue I still had held out to him. He took it and then went to rack up the balls.

"Ladies first" He said as he motioned for me to break. I smiled and walked over to the position I always broke from. I got the ten ball into the back left pocket and smiled widely.

"I always win when I'm stripes" I told him.

About 30 minutes in I was kicking his ass. I was one shot away from winning and he barely had half of his balls in. I decided to check out the huge stereo system in the corner while he took his next shot. I turned it on and started scanning through radio stations. I flipped to my favorite hip hop station and left it there when I heard that the new Usher song that I was currently obsessed with, lil freak, was playing. I turned up the base and then spun around and swayed my hips to the music as I made my way back to table to take my shot. I could feel his eyes watching me from behind as I leaned over and took my shot while still moving me hips. I stood back up straight and watched the ball glide right into the pocket. I put my cue down on the table and then turned around and smiled triumphantly.

"I can get low _and _shoot pool" I said playfully. He laughed and took a step towards me where I was leaning up against the side of the table.

"Man, you've just been impressing me all night…" He said with the smile still on his face.

"Still think I was just all talk?" I asked smugly. The smile faded slowly from his face and he stepped closer towards me again.

I felt the smile fade from my own face as well as he took one last step to me until he was almost touching me. He reached behind me and put his cue down on the table and then he put his hands down on the wood of the table on either side of my body. He was mere inches from me now and we were both serious.

He was going to kiss me.

My heart fluttered in anticipation as he leaned his face down to mine at a painfully slow place. I closed my eyes, swallowed hard, and then his soft lips were against mine. His kiss was slow and hesitant, as if he wasn't sure if this was okay or not. I wrapped my arms around his neck and felt how tense he was, but he started to relax a little when he realized the eagerness that I was kissing him back with. I stood up on my tip toes to reach him better and sucked his lower lip in between mine, causing him to emit a low and soft moan. I smiled and released his lip and then he started kissing me more deeply. I ran my hands up into his hair at the same moment I felt him slip his tongue into mouth. He moved his hands to my hips and then slid them around my waist and down my butt, causing me to whimper into his mouth. His mouth became more urgent on mine a moment later. He bent his knees and slid his hands down to the back of my thighs and then stood up straight again, picking me up and taking a step forward to put me down on the edge of the pool table. I spread my legs and he wedged himself between them while he moved his right hand to wrap around the back of my neck. Our tongues continued to tangle together as the passion of our kiss increased and we didn't pull away until we both needed to for breathing purposes. When we did pull away, we both had smiles on our faces.

It was by far the best first kiss I had ever experienced.


	5. Happy Birthday Jasper

**A/N: Nothing relating to Twilight or its characters is owned by poor little me.**

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**BPOV**

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After I made dinner for Edward he told me about a birthday celebration he would be throwing for Jasper that Thursday. He told me that I was more than welcome to come, and at first I was a little hesitant. I still didn't know Jasper very well and I didn't know if it would be weird for me to go, but Edward insisted that I should go to at least hang out with Alice since she would only know Jasper and he would want to mingle. He did have a good point, and I was eager to see him again, so I agreed.

"Thanks for coming with me, Bells." Alice said as she drove us to Edward's.

"No problem, are you excited to see Jasper?" She smiled widely

"As a matter of fact I am."

"So…" I started after a moment. "I have something to tell you." She looked over at me and raised her eyebrows.

"Okay…"

"I kissed Edward." Her face lit up. "Well, technically, Edward kissed me. But still…we kissed."

"Oh my fucking God Bells, that's so exciting!" I smiled and sighed.

"I know."

"How was it?"

"Incredible. It surpassed every other first kiss by a long shot."

"Really? Awh, do you think he will kiss you again tonight?"

"I have no idea, but I hope it wasn't just a heat of the moment kind of thing, ya know? I hope that he _wants_ to kiss me again."

"I'm sure he does." She said confidently. "I'm glad you have finally seemed to have gotten over the age crap you were whining about." She smirked.

"I think the biggest problem I had with it was just that I managed to convince myself that he would never be interested in me so I tried to keep my distance. However, he does seem to be interested so I might as well go for it."

"Definitely." She approved with a nod.

The birthday party wasn't anything like the Halloween party that Jasper had hosted. It had more of the get together feel rather than a party. There were about thirty people and most of them were hanging out in the back yard on the patio. The table was loaded with all condiments for hamburgers and hot dogs and I could smell meat on the grill.

"Happy birthday!" Alice squealed as Jasper approached her. She threw her arms around his neck in a hug as he greeted her and then he turned to me.

"Hey, JB." Jasper said to me with a smirk. I looked at him in confusion.

"What?" His tone sounded like he was making fun of me but I hadn't done anything to him.

"Stop!" Alice said as she smacked his arm. I felt myself blush; I was embarrassed that I didn't know what he was talking about.

"Uh…happy birthday…" I mumbled.

"Thanks." He smiled and then we all sat down in some cushioned chairs. "Did yall have class today?" He asked. We both nodded.

"The tortures of business finance." Alice groaned.

"Awh, I'm sorry, Honey." Jasper said as he put his hand on her leg. "What did you have, Bella?"

"General psychology…nothing exciting."

"You're a freshman, right?" he asked. I nodded. It didn't sound like he was trying to insult me, but I was still a little embarrassed of my youth.

"You're gonna love your birthday gift…" Alice said, changing the subject.

"Oh, really?" Jasper said as he looked at her and raised his eyebrows. "Can I open it now?"

"Nope." She put her hand on his. "You have to open it later…when I get you alone."

I was suddenly feeling as if I was witnessing something that I didn't want to. They were getting a little to lovey-dovey and I wasn't interested in watching them drool over each other. Thankfully, I spotted Edward a moment later as he walked out of the house and towards the grill. I decided I should go say hey to him, especially since he was the one who invited me over. I stood up and headed towards the grill as he started flipping burgers.

"Working on your non-existent cooking skills?" I mused from behind him. He jumped a little and then glanced over his shoulder.

"Bella…hey…" He greeted me with a smile.

"Hey." He extended his arm out to me and I moved into his side and snaked my arm around his waist. His arm wrapped around my shoulders so that we were engaged in an awkward side hug thing while he kept flipping burgers. I smiled and let my arm linger around him and then I stepped to the side to put about a foot of distance between us.

"How has your week been?" He asked.

"Busy, I'm just glad it's almost over. I had an exam today that I spent all week studying for. How was your week?"

"Mine was busy as well; I had quite a few surgeries to perform." I smiled nervously and looked down.

"What's wrong?" He asked, nudging me playfully with his side.

"Nothing, I just feel pathetic complaining about a stupid exam when you have been performing life-saving surgeries." He laughed.

"Hey, I've been to college…don't think I've forgotten how tough it can be."

"Can I ask you something?" I asked, eager for a change of subject.

"Of course."

"Do you have any idea why Jasper just called me JB?" His head shot up and he looked over at me.

"He called that to your face?" He looked surprised.

"Yeah, what does it mean?" He burst into a fit of laughter and didn't answer me until he calmed down.

"I hope this doesn't offend you, but uh…Jasper…well, Jasper refers to you as jailbait."

"Jailbait?" I asked.

"I guess it's sort of a nickname, but if it bothers you I can ask him to stop." I laughed; he was making it sound like it was a big deal when it wasn't.

"It doesn't bother me." I assured him.

"Good." He said.

"He's probably just jealous because I'm young and hott and he's old."

"Old?" He smirked. "You do realize he is three years younger than I am, right?" I nodded. "So what does that make me?" He mused.

"Ancient." He shook his head with laughter.

"You should feel pretty pathetic then for making out with an old guy." I laughed and then that faded into a smile. I was glad that he mentioned our kiss, that was a sign that he didn't regret it. "However…" He continued. "I have a feeling that it was premeditated so you're probably happy with the outcome." He looked over at me and smirked.

"Premeditated?" I questioned. He didn't explain his statement, but instead announced to all of the guests that the food was ready.

"So what's your preference?" He asked as people started to approach the grill. "Are you a hamburger gal or a hot dog gal?

"Definitely hamburger. And I know just how to prepare it." I said smugly.

"Well then how about you prepare a burger for each of us and I'll meet you over by Jasper and Alice." I smiled.

"Sounds like a plan." He flipped two patties onto a paper plate and handed it to me.

I made my way down the line of condiments, preparing both of our burgers just the way I like it and then went to sit down at the table Alice and Jasper had been at.

"So now I know what JB means." I said with a smirk as Jasper and Alice sat down.

"You do?" Jasper asked, starting to crack up.

"Jailbait…very clever…" I mumbled. "Maybe it will be less funny now that I know about it." He looked as If he were contemplating that idea.

"Nope." He finally said. "It will still be funny, and now I can say it to your face whenever I want." I rolled my eyes.

"You do know that the term jailbait is used to refer to minors, right? I am legal" I said.

"Barely…" Alice said, causing her and Jasper to laugh harder.

"Very funny." Thankfully, before they could think of another smart ass remark, Edward approached us and sat down. He was holding two beer bottles and sat one down in front of me. "Thanks" I said with a smile. He placed an empty paper plate in front of me and I put one of the burgers on it. We both took our first bite at the same time and both hummed in satisfaction.

"You really do know how to perfectly prepare a burger, Bella" Edward said after he swallowed.

"Well, I have to give you some credit on the patties. They're delicious." I said.

"Thank you" he smiled.

"But you totally led me to believe that you can't make anything besides macaroni and grilled cheese, you liar." I mused. Jasper started laughing.

"Edward can't even make grilled cheese, he burns the bread."

"Okay, okay, look…" Edward said in a playfully defensive way. "I may be a failure in the kitchen but the grill is a whole different story." We all laughed.

"So, Edward" Jasper started. "Your dangerously persuasive offspring made me promise I would take her to the baseball game with me and Alice tomorrow night, FYI."

"Have fun trying to monitor her ice cream intake." Edward said with a smile.

"Where is she, anyway?" I asked.

"She's with my mom." Edward answered. "I don't really like her being her around when there's a bunch of people drinking here."

"That makes sense." I said with a nod. I could see why she wasn't but I was anxious to meet the adorable little girl I had seen in the picture.

"Bottoms up, birthday boy" I heard someone say from somewhere behind me. A moment later, a very familiar looking and muscular guy joined us at the table and sat a shot down in front of Jasper.

"Hey, Emmett" Jasper said with a smile as he stood up to give the guy a hug. Emmet, that's why he looked so familiar. That was they dude that Rosalie boned from the club the night that I met Edward.

"Glad you made it, Em" Edward said, standing up to hug him as well. He then sat down again and I locked eye contact with Emmet, giving him an awkward smile.

"Hey!" Emmett suddenly exclaimed, surprising me. "Alice brought jailbait with her!" Everyone started cracking up and I felt myself blush.

"Okay, seriously, do all of your friends call me that or what?" I asked Edward.

"Pretty much" Emmett answered for him. "Where is the little one?" He then asked Edward.

"With my mom" He answered before taking another bite of his hamburger.

"Lame" Emmett said with a dramatic sigh. "I'm starting to think this is all a conspiracy, Eddie. It seems like ever since it's become apparent that your little girl likes me more than you…She is suddenly missing from our major social gatherings." He finished with a smirk.

"Nah, I just don't like her hanging around drunken assholes like you" Edward mused back.

"Speaking of which, this is for you old man." Emmett said as he slid the shot closer to Jasper. Jasper laughed and then picked the shot glass up and threw his head back, swallowing the liquor in one gulp.

"You want a beer, Alice?" Jasper asked as he stood up.

"No thanks, I'm driving."

"What about you jailbait?" He asked, turning to me.

"I'm still working on this one." I motioned to the beer in front of me. Jasper walked away and then Alice turned immediately to Edward.

"Did you get the cake?" She asked.

"Sure did." Edward said, laughing loudly. Emmet joined in on his laughter and Alice along with myself just looked confused. I didn't understand what was so funny about a birthday cake. "You wanna come and help me with the candles, Bella?" He asked as he stood up.

"Sure."

I stood up as well and followed him back into the house and into his beautiful kitchen. He rummaged around in a drawer until he pulled out a lighter and some candles and then he took a large sheet cake out of plastic bag. I took a sip of beer but almost choked on it when I caught a glimpse of the cake. It was hot pink with purple sprinkles and in lime green writing it said 'congratulations on coming out'. I finally managed to swallow my beer and then raised my eyebrows at Edward, who had started laughing with me.

"So," He started to explain. "Emmett, Jasper, and I all have a tradition that when it's one of our birthdays the other two provide the most random birthday cake they can think of. Sometimes they have been 'happy Saint Patrick's day' cakes, or 'It's a boy!' cakes, but I personally think that this one is the best so far." My laughter grew louder as he explained.

"That's hilarious…" I managed to say through my giggles. He smiled and handed me the candles.

"You put them in and I'll light them as you go."

"Any particular way you to want me to arrange them?" I asked and He smirked.

"Well, I would say in the shape of a penis but some of our guests may find that a little crude, so I'm just gonna say all over is fine."

I giggled some more and started placing the candles randomly into the cake.

"So…I have an idea." He said as he lit the candles after a stuck them in.

"What's that?" I asked.

"Well now that I have been informed that Jasper is kidnapping my daughter, it seems that my night is free tomorrow."

"It would appear to be that way, yes" I said with a smile as I kept arranging candles.

"So how would you feel about going to dinner with me? It could act as a replacement for last time since that didn't go so smoothly…" I laughed and put the last candle into the cake.

"I think I could go for that" I nodded.

"Good, then I'll pick you up at six thirty?"

"Six thirty it is." He finished lighting all of the candles and then we headed towards the back door where we walked outside and everyone, led my Alice, broke out singing happy birthday.

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"I'll be out there in five minutes, Bella." Alice told me with a smile as Edward and I walked towards the front door.

Alice, Jasper, and I stayed at Edward's a little while after everyone else had left to help him clean up. When we were finished, Edward walked me out to the car while the other two said their goodbyes and made out in his living room.

"I'm really glad that you decided to come tonight" He said as I leaned up against the car and he stood in front of me with arms crossed.

"Me too, thanks for inviting me."

"I'm excited to hang out with you again tomorrow."

"So am I. Hopefully this time going out to dinner will go more smoothly than last time." We both laughed.

"I can guarantee that." He said. "Speaking of which, I'm really sorry I acted like an asshole that night. I was just kind of surprised; I would never have guessed that you are only eighteen."

"It's okay, I understand. I was pretty thrown off guard too. You don't look your age either."

"So I have a question…." He started as he took a couple steps towards me. My back was pressed up against the car so I could have moved back even if I wanted too.

"What's that?" I asked with a smile.

"Well…" He continued taking slow steps towards me until he was an inch away from me. He then put both hands up on the top of the car, on either side of my head, so that I was standing between his arms. "Since we already made out, does that make it acceptable for me to kiss you goodnight?"

"Hmm…" I laughed and made a playful look of thoughtfulness. "I suppose that would be alright." I said as I played with the buttons on the front of his shirt. I stilled my hand and then lifted my eyes too look up at him.

He smiled and leaned his head down so that his forehead was pressed against mine. I smiled back and quickly tilted my head up until my lips met his. I snaked my arms up to wrap around his neck and we both contributed to deepening our already passionate kiss. His lips against mine felt even better than I remembered. There were sparks and fireworks and all that shit. After a few moments I slid one hand down his shoulder and grasped his bicep on the arm that he still had outstretched at my side. I moaned softly into his mouth when I felt how muscular he really was. You could tell just by looking at him that he was fit but I had underestimated how toned he was. At that moment I decided that I would make it a priority to see this man naked and explore exactly how muscular he was everywhere else. Our tongues swirled around each other and our lips became more urgent.

Unfortunately, however, our kiss was ended too soon when the front door opened and we could hear two people laughing. We pulled away and then we both groaned and I gave Edward a pouty look.

"Don't be so sad, jailbait," Jasper started. "There will be plenty of time for you guys to do that tomorrow night."

"Good point." Alice said with a giggle. We all laughed as Jasper walked her to the driver side door. Edward dropped his arms and took a step back but we remained standing there looking at each other while the others said their final goodbye and Alice got in the car.

"See ya later, JB." Jasper said as he walked back towards the door to the house.

"Bye, Jasper." I answered with a laugh as I turned around and away from Edward so I could open the car door. "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then." I said to him as I stood there with the door open.

"Looking forward to it." He smiled and then leaned it to place one last chaste kiss on my lips before I got into the car and he shut the door for me.

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**A/N: Sorry the update took so long. Wanna hear my horror story? I wrote like seven pages of this chapter and then somehow my computer freaked out and restarted itself and deleted the entire thing. I tried desperately to restore it but I couldn't and so it was lost. I was so pissed off that it took me a while to find the inner strength to just sit down and rewrite it. But I did…for my awesome readers. Originally this chapter was going to include the second dinner date but I was so mad that I had to rewrite it and ended up cutting it a little short. So that will be included in next chapter. !**


	6. A Better Dinner

**A/N: I own nothing so don't sue me. **

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**Bella POV**

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"Tell me something about yourself that I don't know." Edward asked me as we waited for our food to arrive at dinner.

"There is a lot about me that you don't know." I pointed out as I laughed a little.

"Good, that gives you a lot to choose from then." I sat there staring at him for a while, trying to decide what to say.

"Well…" I decided to keep it light. "When I was younger I wanted to be trash man." He almost choked on his water as he started laughing.

"Really…"

"Yeah, but only because I wanted to ride on the big truck." His laugh turned to a smile.

"That totally sounds like something my daughter would say." I smiled at that.

"Speaking of which…I'd like to meet her."

"Yeah?" He asked as he put his glass down.

"Yeah, I mean not in an 'I'm trying to be serious with you' kind of way. Not that I wouldn't ever be serious with you…" I was starting to ramble so I paused to collect my thoughts. "She just sounds really adorable and I love kids so I would like to meet her." That gorgeous smile reappeared on his face.

"She is adorable, and that would nice. I would like you to meet her too."

"Good." I said as I took a sip of my own water.

"In fact, she's been begging me to take her to the zoo. Maybe you would like to join us?"

"I would love that." I said honestly. The waitress brought us our meals and Edward thanked her before turning back to me.

"So how did you go from trash man to Teacher?" He asked as he dug into his dinner

"What?" I asked, momentarily confused.

"What you want to do with your life. You said that your major is early childhood education so I was wondering how you decided on that."

"Oh…" I said, smiling. "Well the trash man phase ended once I figured out with that job really entailed."

"I see…and your interest shifted from garbage to children?"

"Well people have been asking be my whole life what I want to be when I grow up and my answer was always the same…I just want to be a mom and raise a family. Then when it became time to think about college I realized that I needed to plan a real career. So I tried to think of what I would be most happy doing, second to being a mother of course, and a teacher seemed like the closest thing."

He stayed silent for a few moments, just looking at me with a look that I couldn't quiet identify. Almost like…_admiration?_

"That's…that's awesome." He said, sounding like he genuinely meant it. I smiled and continued.

"I still want to be a stay at home mom one day if that works out for me, but as I got a little older I started to understand that I needed a degree to insure myself."

"That's very wise of you." He said approvingly.

"Yeah well I can't deny that it took some talking to from my dad." He smiled and took another bite of his dinner.

"So is there a reason you want to have a family so bad or is it just a natural love for kids?" I thought about that for a few moments.

"Both I think. I really do just naturally love kids but I think that my mom may have influenced that desire a little…"

"Let me guess, your mom is so awesome that you want to have kids and raise them the exact same way she raised you?" I laughed.

"Quite the opposite, actually. I mean…she wasn't a bad mom I just don't think she ever really wanted kids. And I guess I kind of came as a surprise. I don't think she was ready. She was always kind of scatterbrained and all over the place when I was a kid. I never really felt like a priority to her." He looked sad for me now.

"So you want to have kids so you can raise them differently than you were raised."

"Yeah, I guess. I just want to build the family that I feel like I missed out on."

"That makes sense." He said with a nod and then we both took a few more bites of food.

"So what about you? I know that your daughter came as a surprise, but did you want kids before that?" He paused and thought.

"Yeah I did, I always knew that I wanted to be a father at some point, I just didn't think about it a lot. I guess before Chelsea came along that was something I always thought of as off in the future. Now that I have her though, I can't imagine life without her. And now that I am a dad, it's something I think about a lot more."

"So you want more kids then?" I asked, assuming that's what he meant when he said he thinks about it a lot more now.

"Absolutely…and sooner than later."

I laughed at his eagerness but I didn't find it one bit strange.

"Sorry…" He said, laughing as well. "I didn't mean to sound so forward, I just meant that I don't want Chelsea to be a whole lot older than her siblings. Besides, I'm not getting any younger."

"No, that totally makes sense." I said reassuringly. "Have you thought about how many?"

"How many kids?"

"No, how many elephants."

"Watch it, smartass." He laughed and took a sip of water. "Yeah, I've thought about it. I think probably two or maybe three. As long as I get a boy by three I'll be happy. My mom would certainly be happy with more…she's itching for more grandchildren."

"So you really want a boy then?" I asked, thinking it was cute.

"Oh yeah, definitely. Chelsea is my little princess and I love that but I need a little man to throw the football with."

"That's cute…" I said, still smiling as I took a bite of food.

"And you? How big do you want your army of offspring to be?"

"I haven't really thought about how many, I just figured I would go until it felt right."

"That's logical." He said.

"I for sure need more than one though…I hated being an only child." He nodded in agreement.

"Me too. I always wanted brothers and sisters to play with, and I want that for my kids." He paused a moment. "So when are you looking to starting this little dream family of yours?"

"As soon as I find the right guy"

He smiled at me and I continued eating my food and had to work on not beaming foolishly as I did so. I couldn't help it though, I liked the way he talked about his future kids and it was so refreshing to be around a guy who actually had goals versus the tools I usually went out with.

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**EdwardPOV**

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After taking Bella home, walking her to the door, and scoring my goodnight kiss, I headed home. I saw Jasper's car in the driveway and knew that he was back from the baseball game with Chelsea and his new girlfriend.

"Daddy!" Chelsea yelled as she come running towards me after hearing the door from the garage open. I was pleased to see that she was already bathed and dressed in her Dora pajamas.

"Hey, sweetie. Did you have fun at the game?" I asked as I picked her up and kissed her cheek.

"Yes, Uncle Jasper bought me ice cream."

"That _would_ be the one experience she brings home from that." Jasper said, shaking his head as he walked towards us.

"Hey, thanks for taking her man. And thanks for getting her ready for bed and all that."

"It's no problem; it was fun having her there."

"Where's your lady at?"

"Oh I took her home before I came over here. She has work early in the morning so she wanted to get to bed."

"Oh." I said and then Chelsea yawned and let her head fall against my shoulder. "You tired, princess? It's definitely past your bed time." When she nodded instead of speaking her answer I knew that it was time for her to hit the sheets.

"She refused to go to bed without a goodnight kiss from you." Jasper explained. I smiled and put my keys down on the kitchen counter.

"I'm gonna go put her to bed. You want to stick around awhile and have a beer?"

"Yeah for sure." He said. "Night Chelsea, thanks for coming to the game with me."

"Goodnight Uncle Jasper." She said sleepily.

I took her up to her room, pulled back the covers on her bed and lay her down. I pulled the blankets back up around her and then kneeled down beside the bed.

"I love you." I said and then kissed her forehead.

"I love you too daddy." She said before yawning again and rubbing one of her eyes with her tiny fist.

"Hey, do you still want to go to the zoo?"

"Mhmm" She mumbled as she continued rubbing her eyes. I knew she must be tired when she didn't get overly excited by the idea.

"Would it be okay with you if Daddy brought a friend with us?"

"What friend?" She asked curiously. "Uncle Jasper?"

"No, a new friend."

"As long as they will let us spend extra time looking at the giraffes"

I laughed.

"I don't think that will be a problem." Her eyes started to flutter shut so I kissed her forehead once more before standing up and heading for the door. "Goodnight, Chels."

"Night Daddy." I left the door cracked for her the way she liked it and went back downstairs to find Jasper.

"Did the little munchkin go down without a fight this time?" He asked as he pulled two beers out of the refrigerator.

"Yup. You really wore her out, man."

"Yeah, you're welcome for that by the way."

"Thank you." I said as I took one of the beers from him. "Let's go out back." He followed me outside and we sat down in the chairs next to the pool.

"So tell me all about your date tonight…" Jasper said as he popped open his beer and took the first sip. I felt myself smile.

"What do you want to know?"

"Why don't you start with what made you change your mind about her? I thought you said she was too young for you."

"I did, but…I don't know…there's just something about her."

"You said that right after you went out with her the first time, what's different now?"

I thought about that for a moment. When I was at dinner with Bella that night I had barely even though about her age. She wasn't just a sexy eighteen year old to me anymore she was a deep and goal oriented young woman.

"I don't know man, she's really mature. And we seem to be on the same page about a lot of things."

"See, I was right. I told you if you want her you should just go for it. Your age difference really isn't a big deal."

"Yeah, I'm starting to realize that. I'm not saying that she's my soul mate or anything but there is definitely something special about her. Plus I like that she thinks about her future a lot…she's not just some partying co-ed."

"What do you mean?"

"Well at dinner she was telling me about how she wants to be a mom…have a family and raise kids."

"Doesn't every girl want that?"

"Tanya didn't." I reminded him.

"Well Tanya was a complainer. She was too needy to have kids…she couldn't deal with having the spotlight taken off of her."

"True." I mentally compared Bella to Tanya. "Maybe that's why I like her so much. She's the complete opposite of Tanya...which is exactly what I want for Chelsea and I."

"More importantly what you need." Jasper added.

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**BellaPOV**

"Rose?" I called as I walked into the apartment.

"In here!" She called back from her bathroom. I walked in to find her leaning towards the mirror as she tweezed her eyebrows.

"Hey…" I said as I hopped up to sit on the counter.

"Hey, how did your date go?"

"It was really good." I said, feeling a smile spread across my lips. "I really like him. And I know at first it was mostly just physical, but he's actually a really awesome guy."

"Glad you're getting along so well…Alice said she thought he was really into you."

"She did? Did Jasper say something to her?" I asked curiously, wanting to know if Edward had been talking about me.

"I don't know, you'll have to ask her." I made a mental note to do that next time we talked.

"I think I'm gonna meet his daughter soon."

"Really? That seems like a pretty big thing."

"I don't think so. I mean, I'm just going to be meeting her as a friend of his."

"Oh, well…that's good for you I guess. Kid's aren't really my thing but I'm sure you'll get along with her just fine." I laughed. It was no secret that Rosalie greatly disliked children.

"You should have heard the way he talked about how he wanted more kids. It was so cute…"

"You guys talked about your future children?" She asked as she kept tweezing, wincing as she did so.

"Well I mean not as in _our_ future kids, but we talked about how we each wanted a family someday. We were both only children so we kinda got into discussing how many kids we wanted and stuff."

"Seems like pretty heavy shit for what? Your fourth time hanging out?" I paused and considered that.

"I guess so, but it wasn't awkward or anything. It felt like a totally natural conversation to have."

"Cute. Maybe you can be the lucky lady to pop out some more shit-machines for him."

"I'm gonna laugh when you end up with like six kids or something."

"Yeah fucking right."

"Just wait…" I mumbled as I hopped off of the counter and headed to my own room.

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I didn't hear from Edward at all the first half of the week and by the time he finally called on Thursday, I had been beginning to get a little discouraged. I was sitting out on the balcony of our apartment with Rosalie when my phone rang. A big smile found my lips after glancing at the caller idea and Rosalie gave me a curious look.

"It's Edward…" I explained. She rolled her eyes at my giddiness and got up to go back inside."Hello?" I answered after the third ring.

"Hey, Bella…its Edward."

"Hey!" I responded cheerfully.

"How are you? How has your week been?" He asked sweetly.

"Pretty uneventful, what about yours?"

"It's been okay. I'm sorry that I didn't call you sooner I've just been busy. I covered a couple shifts at the hospital for a friend and on top of that Chelsea had some sort of stomach virus."

"No, I totally understand. Is she feeling better?" I asked, genuinely feeling bad for his little girl.

"Oh, yeah, she's fine now…it was just a couple day thing."

"Oh, well I'm glad she's feeling better."

"Yeah, she's back to her little overly energized self." I could hear him laughing softly on the other end of the line.

"Sounds like she keeps your hands full." I said with a laugh of my own.

"Nah, she's pretty easy once you figure out how she operates. She's surprisingly self-sufficient for a four year old."

"Well I guess you've done a good job with her then."

"I like to think so." He said, still chuckling. His laughter died down and then he changed the subject. "So I had a really nice time with you at dinner last weekend." He said.

"I did too." I answered, smiling like a little girl.

"So I was wondering if you would still be up for that trip to the zoo?"

"Yeah, absolutely." I said, excited.

"Great. I plan on taking her on Saturday if that works for you."

"Yeah Saturday is perfect." I didn't even think about what I had on my schedule. I could re-arrange things if I had to, because I wasn't going to miss this.

"Okay, good. I'll probably take her out for some breakfast first if you would like to join us." I considered that for a moment.

"Maybe I could come over to your place and I could make us breakfast instead?" I suggested hesitantly.

I wasn't sure how he would feel about it but I hoped that maybe she would feel more comfortable meeting me in her own home. He paused for a long moment and I wondered what he was thinking.

"That would be wonderful, Bella."

"Awesome, so what time should I come over?"

"Um, does eight thirty sound okay?" Shit. It was a challenge for me to roll out of bed before ten on weekends.

"Yeah, eight thirty is fine." I said, trying to sound as cheerful about it as possible.

"Okay, great."

"Does Chelsea like pancakes?"

"Yeah, absolutely."

"And does daddy like pancakes?" I asked in what I tried to convey as a subtly flirty tone. I could hear his adorable soft laughter again.

"Yes, I like pancakes. And I've come to trust your cooking skills so I'm excited to try a Bella breakfast."

"Good. So I guess I'll see you bright and early on Saturday then!"

"Sounds good. I'm looking forward to it."

"Me too, I'll see you then."

"Alright, bye Bella." I hung up with another giddy smile on my face.

"ROSE!" I yelled as I walked back into the apartment.

"Jesus Christ, Bella…why are you screaming?"

"I need you to help me find something to wear to the zoo!"


	7. Fancy Seeing You Here

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**A/N: I own nothing but all of the amazing reviews you guys have given me!**

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After Edward had called me on Thursday to make plans for the zoo, I was incredibly impatient for Saturday to roll around. On Friday night Rosalie had insisted that I accompany her to one of her favorite clubs, Vida, and I figured that I might as well try to distract myself from waiting for the next morning.

"Soooo…" Rosalie said in a singsong voice. "What are you wearing tonight?" She asked as we stood in front of her mirror doing our hair and makeup.

"I dunno…" I mumbled. "Haven't decided yet." She sighed dramatically and paused in applying her mascara to look over at me.

"Look, Bella…I realize that you're all worked up with lust for this doctor you'd like to fuck. However, that does not mean that you can't go out with me tonight and have an enjoyable evening. My night will not be as pleasant without my main bitch at my side. With that being said…we are going to go to Vida, we are going to have a few shots to loosen your depressing ass up, we are going to grind on each other on the dance floor until we have to boys drooling over us, and you are going to enjoy every damn minute of it. Then, you can wake up tomorrow and go enjoy your ideal day of children, animals, and hopefully some doctor sex later on." I couldn't help but smile at her starkness.

"You're a bitch Rose, and I love you for it."

"Thank you" She said, turning to continue the application of her mascara.

"But just for your information…I don't think either of us is looking to have sex so soon."

"What?" She asked as if I had just told her that her favorite brand of hairspray had been discontinued. "What happened to the whole 'I want to get in Edward's pants' thing, Bella?"

"I do. Just not right now."

"Excuse me?"

"Well I would prefer to get to know him first, Rose. You know, date him for a little while?" She shook her head disapprovingly.

"I've molded you to be better than this, Bella. Do you really want to be in a relationship at eighteen?"

"Yes. And besides, you know I don't believe in casual sex and one night stands."

"I should have known…she who wants to pop out babies as soon as possible."

"That's not true…I just don't see the point in delaying the things that I want in life. Why not make my dreams happen sooner than later and then spend more time enjoying them?"

"Because your dreams are retarded" She said as if her answer was obvious.

"Are not"

"Bella, normal eighteen year old girls don't dream of cleaning house and having babies."

"Well I guess I'm not a normal eighteen year old girl then."

"Clearly" She said tartly.

"Look, it's not like I only want to date Edward because I want those things. My point is that if I happen to be interested in Edward and he happens to want the same things in life that I do…why should I deny it all just because of my age?"

"I suppose."

"You just don't understand because you don't have the same goals I do. Which is fine, but you can't understand why I want the things I do. You see things from your perspective and I see things from mine."

"Okay, okay, stop talking like my mother and finish sexifying yourself so we can go." I laughed and went back to my hair.

"Besides…just because I'm interested in Edward and want a family someday doesn't mean that I don't also like to party. I fully intend on being a MILF for your information…"

"Yeah, yeah…just as long as you're still my main girl because I don't know what I would do without my little Bella to dance on the bar with…"

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"Are you ready?" Rosalie called from her room twenty five minutes later. I had decided on a simple high waisted black skirt with a blue tank top tucked in. I added some sexy strappy black heels and ruffled the curls in my hair. To be honest, I looked fucking hot.

"Yeah, I'm coming." I called back as I made my way to the living room with my ID and my phone.

"Alice and Jasper are picking us up so that neither of us has to drive."

"Alice and Jasper are coming?"

"Yeah, is that okay?" She asked, sounding like she was wondering why I'd asked.

"Yeah, of course it is." The mention of Jasper made me briefly wonder about Edward, but I thought it extremely unlikely that he was going. He had told me that he didn't like leaving his daughter with his mom so much so I thought it was a pretty slim chance that he would leave her there just to go out to the club. From what I gathered, he wasn't really the club going type anyway.

"Evan is meeting us there too." She informed me.

"Really?" I squealed excitedly. Evan was our gay friend and he was positively adorable.

"Mhmm…" She stumbled into the living room, slipping her last heel on, as her cell phone buzzed. She flipped it open and then headed towards the door after reading it. "They're here." She explained.

We made our way to Jasper's Tahoe where he and Alice waited for us downstairs. Alice was in the front seat while he drove and they were holding hands across the console.

"Well aren't you two adorable. Everyone seems to be finding their mate these days…" Rosalie said disdainfully as we slid into the back seat.

"Hey, ladies!" Alice said happily, ignoring Rosalie's comment as we usually did.

"Hey, Al" I answered. "Hey, Jasper" I added.

"Hey, Bella" He responded. "How have you been?"

"I'm great, you?"

"I've been wonderful." He said, looking over at Alice and smiling. Alice smiled in return and then turned to look out the window, blushing. I smiled at how cute they were. It was all just a big smile-fest.

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It became clear upon walking into the club that it would be a good night. The music was all hot new stuff and it was pretty crowded, the dance floor packed.

"We need shots!" Rosalie yelled, immediately heading towards the bar.

"I swear she's a borderline alcoholic…" I commented to Alice. "She can't have fun without and she's a real bitch when she's not drinking it."

"Nah…she's just a real bitch all the time." Alice answered

Rosalie ordered her first shot, an extra one for me as usual since I wasn't old enough, and we took them straight away after the four of us gathered at the bar. Jasper then right away insisted on buying the three of us another one while he got himself a beer and we did that immediately after, Alice joining us this time. The second one in particular burned going down and I decided I could use a coke to wash it down. I turned around to face the bar and get the bartender's attention for my desired beverage when I felt someone's large hand on my hip. I was about to turn around and ask the creeper to back off when I heard an unmistakable velvety voice in my ear.

"Fancy seeing you here…" I turned around excitedly to face Edward.

"Hey!" I said, throwing my arms around his neck in a hug. "What are you doing here?"

"Jasper invited me." He explained, wrapping his arm around my waist to hug me back. "Chelsea somehow persuaded Emmett to come over and watch a movie with her and that left my night open so I decided I might as well take him up on the offer." I liked the way that he said 'Chelsea' instead of 'my daughter'. It made me feel like he really wanted me to know her.

"Ah, well…lucky for me then…"

"…and my acceptance may have also had something to do with the fact that he told me you would be here." He added as he pulled back from our hug. I smiled as I looked up at him.

"Well I'm glad that you're here." I said, more than honest.

"Well I'm glad that you're glad that I'm here." He said as he smiled down at me. "Can I get you something to drink?"

"Uh…yeah I was actually just about to get a coke. I took a shot without a chaser and I definitely felt the burn.

"Mm, I see." He said with an understanding nod as he turned towards the bar and lifted his hand in an attempt to get the bartender's attention through the large crowd. The guy didn't even seem to notice him.

"Allow me" I said as I hopped up on the small ledge in front of the bar and leaned over so that my chest was flat against the counter and I could see past everyone down to where he stood. Edward put his hand on my lower back as if he was afraid I would fall even though I was less than a foot off the ground. "Excuse me!" I called in an attempt at a charming voice. He looked right over at me and came down to me straight away.

"What can I get ya?"

"Just a coke for me" I said. "Do you want anything?" I asked Edward while I still had the bartender's attention.

"Uh…yeah," He said before turning to speak to the man. "Heineken, please" He said.

"Bottle or on tap?" The bartender asked.

"Bottle" Edward requested.

"Sure thing" He retrieved a small glass of coke and handed it to me as I took out a few dollars.

"No, I've got it." Edward interjected, handing him a bill to cover both drinks as the man handed him his beer. I stepped down and then turned to Edward with a smug smile. He chuckled and looked impressed.

"I suppose you would be more appealing to serve than me…you _are_ more attractive after all." He said. I laughed and took a sip of my coke.

"Maybe to the bartender but if we're talking general public then I beg to differ."

"Oh you do?" He asked with a smirk.

"Mhmm…the population does consist of more women than men after all." I shot back.

"Yeah well I can think of a certain population of women that I'm fairly certain would find you very attractive...particularly in that skirt."

"Like something that you see, doctor?" I asked, moving my hips a few times to the music. He chuckled softly and put an arm around my waist, leaning over a little to speak closer to my ear.

"Indeed I do" I felt myself blush a little as he pulled back again to look at me with a smile.

"Thanks for the drink, by the way." I said, raising my coke before taking another sip.

"No problem. Thanks for getting that guys attention."

"No problem."

"That will be the only circumstance I thank you for getting another man's attention by the way." I laughed and leaned a little closer towards him. I was impressed by how smooth and natural I felt around him tonight. Our conversation just flowed I was finding him more adorable than ever.

"Good to know"

"Is that coke helping with the burn?"

"Yup, I'll be ready for my next round before you know it."

"Hey, you better watch how much you drink tonight." He started, still in a playful tone. "I don't need you hung over in the reptile house tomorrow." I laughed.

"I'll try to refrain from throwin 'em back too aggressively. I have a feeling the aroma of elephant shit wouldn't mix too well with the nausea that accompanies a hangover anyway." He smiled and brushed a piece of hair away from my face.

"Do you have any idea how adorable you are?" I smiled and then mocked a confused expression.

"You think it's adorable with I talk about elephant shit?" He smiled softly.

"Can I kiss you?" I paused a moment, just looking at him with a giddy smile, and then nodded.

"In fact, I demand it." I said. He lowered his lips towards mine at a painfully slow pace but right before they made contact he looked away and sighed.

"Too bad I don't take orders, then." He said, his playful smile returning to his gorgeous face. I pouted but before I could return his banter, Rosalie was at my side.

"Bella…its dance time, bitch! I love this song." I glanced over at her and then looked back at Edward. I wanted to stay and flirt some more but one, I knew Rosalie would not allow that. Two, I knew just from the opening beat that the song was _Drop it Low_ by Ester Dean and I was not missing my chance to dance to it. I took a step closer to Edward and slipped my hand into his.

"Come dance with me." I said. He glanced at the dance floor hesitantly and then looked back at me.

"Yeah, uh…I don't really dance…" I frowned and then remember the first night I had met him.

"Is that why you wouldn't ask me dance the first night we met?"

"Yeah, pretty much. Why? Were you hoping I would?" He asked with a smile.

"BELLA!" Rosalie interrupted before I could answer. I looked over at her.

"What?" I yelled, annoyed. Edward laughed.

"We're wasting precious ass popping time here!" I sighed and turned back to Edward. Rosalie was very right. We were wasting too much time of one of my favorite club songs. Too much time to stay and argue with Edward about dancing.

"Can at least have that kiss before I go?" I heard Rosalie sigh dramatically but I ignored her, keeping my eyes on Edward's. His smile widened and he leaned forward to peck my lips quickly.

"Have fun" He whispered as he pulled away.

"I'll be right back!" I called over my shoulder as Rosalie took my hand and pulled me in the direction of the dance floor.

Rosalie and I danced for a while and I was having a great time…even better than I expected to now that Edward had shown up. There were guys who approached us and tried to get in on our bumping and grinding action but as we usually did, we either discreetly moved away or Rosalie simply pushed them off of us. I had checked to see that Alice and Japser stayed at the bar with Edward but when they sauntered off to do some grinding of their own I didn't want to leave Edward alone to be preyed upon by other girls. I told Rosalie that I was thirsty and I headed back to the bar while she went off to bathroom. Edward smiled at me as I approached him and when I got there I slid my arms around his waist.

"Miss me?"

"A little, but I kept myself busy by admiring your dance moves." I laughed as I looked up at him.

"Jealous?" He laughed softly and took a sip of his beer before answering.

"I don't know…I'm not so sure I would be able to retain my masculinity if I attempted some of the moves you were doing out there. And I'm not sure that I'm physically capable of some of them either. You were getting pretty low." As if on cue at the mention of lack of masculinity, I heard an obnoxious male, yet girly, voice squealing behind me.

"BELLALICIOUS!" I whipped my head back to look behind me, recognizing that voice immediately.

"Evan!"

"Come here, babe!" I turned from Edward and through my arms around Evan who picked me up in a huge hug and swung me around a couple times before putting me down on my feet. "Who is this piece of man candy you've found for yourself?"

"Oh!" I said excitedly as I turned back to Edward. He looked adorably unsure of what was going on. "This is Edward, Edward this is Evan."

"Heyyyy…Nice to meet you, Bella's man-friend." Edward laughed awkwardly and extended his hand.

"Likewise" Evan shook his hand in an extremely feminine way as always and then Edward took a gulp of beer.

"Does this man candy go to school with us, little B?" Evan asked as he looked Edward up and down, probably checking him out. Who could blame him?

"I graduated already" Edward informed him. As they spoke, I reached down and played with Edward's fingers discreetly. He glanced over at me and smiled.

"And what do you do then, Mr. Edward?" Evan asked.

"I'm a pediatric surgeon"

"Oh! Bella, girl, you better hold on to this one!" Evan said enthusiastically. "I'm going to go get us all a shot, you two wait here!"

"Not for me, thanks though. I'm driving." Edward said quickly before Evan could walk away.

"Oh boo, well shots for me and Bellalicious, then! Be right back!" When he left I looked up at Edward who had his eyebrows raised at me.

"In case you didn't notice, Evan's gay…" I said, smiling.

"Yeah I picked up on that pretty quickly. But he's not exactly hiding it, huh?"

"Nope, I think he's about as out as possible."

Evan returned with our shots quickly and then when Alice and Jasper returned to Edward I went to go dance to a few songs with my gay man. Neither Edward nor I wanted to stay too late since we were getting up to go to the zoo in the morning, so he offered to drive me home. I informed Alice of the plan and then left with Edward, my hand in his. He opened all my doors for me, being a complete gentleman as always. When he parked in the lot of my apartment building, we paused and flirted for a minute before proceeding to make out like two sixteen year olds in his car for almost a full half hour. His hand did travel up my thigh to rest right under my skirt but besides that it all stayed pretty innocent. After pulling away breathlessly to tell me that he really needed to get home, he walked me up to my door and after one last kiss I was left to wait it out until morning when I would see the beautiful Edward Cullen again.

I was very right about the fact that waking up so early on Saturday was not an easy task for me. And because I had to be there at eight thirty, I had to be up by seven to give myself enough time to get ready and drive over there. I showered, taking the extra time to shave my legs, and then blew my hair dry and applied my makeup. I had decided on wearing some simple jeans but made sure to choose the pair that Rosalie insisted made my ass look good. I really wanted to wear shorts but since it was November I figured it would be too chilly for that. I didn't want to look like I was trying too hard to look good so I chose to wear a WSU long sleeve T shirt with my Sperry shoes and throw my hair into a messy, yet cute, high ponytail.

I had made a good call by doing my grocery shopping for the necessary breakfast ingredients the night before. At least that saved me a little bit of time.

I quickly put my socks and shoes on, grabbed my grocery bags, and slid my sunglasses onto my face.

"Have a good time…" Rosalie told me as I headed for the door. She was up early to get ready for work.

"Thanks" I said through a yawn and then shut the door behind me.

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I had butterflies in my stomach as I pulled up to Edward's house, and it was only partially about seeing him. The thought of meeting his daughter was rather intimidating.

I knocked on the door and he came to answer pretty quickly. I was a little surprised, however, when he came outside instead of letting me in.

"Hey…" he said, closing the door behind him.

"Hi." I said, a little caught off guard.

"Uh…" He started, seeming a little hesitant. "I just wanted to talk to you for a minute about Chelsea."

"Oh, um, okay."

"I hope this doesn't come off as rude, but uh…I haven't told her that anything is going on between us. As far as she's concerned at the moment…you're just a new friend."

"Oh, yeah of course," I said, trying to convey my understanding in my tone. It made perfect sense that he hadn't told her anything. "I wouldn't expect anything else." He looked at me skeptically for a moment. "Honestly, Edward." Then his doubt seemed to turn to relief.

"Okay, good. Well um…you should come inside then."

"Okay." He took the groceries from me and then moved to open the door and lead me inside. He stopped, however, as his hand was about to reach the door knob and turned to face me.

"Wait, I almost forgot."

"What now?" I said, feigning annoyance playfully. He leaned forward and stole a quick kiss before I could even react. I laughed as he pulled away and really did open the door to lead me inside this time.

"Hey, Chels," He called as we entered the kitchen and he put the bags down "Can you come here for a minute?"

I looked over the kitchen counter and into the living room where I saw a little head visible from the couch. She was facing the other direction as she watched TV so all I could see was her golden blonde hair. She got up at Edward's request and rounded the corner of the couch to come over us. I smiled as she entered the kitchen. She was even more beautiful than her picture. She went straight over to Edward who picked her up quickly and then took a few steps towards me. Once she was secure in his arms she looked at me curiously. I smiled at her again.

"Sweetie this is my friend, Bella. She's going to be going to the zoo with us today."

"Hey, Chelsea." I said, trying to make my voice sound sweet but not like I was talking to a baby. She glanced at Edward and hesitated a moment before answering me.

"Hi" She said in a soft, shy voice.

"Bella's going to make pancakes for us." Edward told her. She locked her little arms around his neck.

"I like pancakes" She then informed me. My smile widened.

"Good, because I've been told mine are pretty delicious." She smiled shyly and turned back to Edward.

"Daddy, can I have some orange juice?" He put her down on the counter and walked over to the refrigerator to take out the carton of orange juice.

"Bella would you like some juice?"

"Yeah, thanks. And if you can give me a mixing bowl I'll get started on the pancakes."

He put the orange juice on the counter and then retrieved a mixing bowl and whisk and handed them both to me. I started unloading my groceries and he went to a cabinet to take down three cups.

"Can I have a sippy cup so I can take it back into the living room?" Chelsea asked as he took down the third glass.

"Yeah, Okay." He put the regular glass away and took down a plastic cup with a lid. As Edward began to fill the cups, I started pouring all of the pancake mix into the bowl.

"So Chelsea, what's your favorite animal at the zoo?" I asked while I measured out ingredients.

"Giraffes." She answered quickly.

"Giraffes are neat, that's one of my favorites too." I told her. She paused a long moment before answering me.

"What's your most favorite?"

"Zebras…and I'm very excited to see them today."

"I like those too. And monkeys."

"What's your Daddy's favorite?" I glanced at over Edward who was snapping the top on her sippy cup. He didn't look at me but I could see him smile.

"Daddy likes lions but I think they're scary."

"Hmm…" I said in a thoughtful tone as I started stirring and looked back over at Chelsea. "I think they're scary too…and not nearly as pretty as giraffes." She smiled at me for a moment but was distracted when Edward walked over to give her the plastic cup of juice. She took it in both hands.

"Thank you." I smiled at her politeness.

"You're welcome, princess." Edward answered as he kissed her forehead.

That made my smile widen. He picked her up as she started drinking and sat her down with her feet on the floor. She took her cup with her back to the living room and returned to the couch.

"So…" Edward started as he moved to prop himself up against the counter next to where I was working. "I really hope the lions don't scare you too much today." I laughed.

"I think I'll be alright."

"Well that's a relief."

"Can you get me a skillet?" I asked as I moved towards the stove.

"Sure." He retrieved a pan from a cabinet in the island and put it on one of the burners.

"Thank you."

"Can I help?"

"You can bring me those eggs and cheese from the bag over there." I said, nodding my head in the direction of my remaining groceries.

"Sure thing." He quickly retrieved the objects I asked for and sat them down on the counter next to the stove.

"She's even cuter than her picture." I said, glancing towards the living room wear Chelsea sat on the couch. When I looked back at him he was smiling.

"Thank you. She's being a little shy but I think you made a good first impression." I smiled.

"I hope so."

"I think anyone who shares her fondness of giraffes is a friend in her book." I laughed and poured some pancake batter into the heated skillet.

"I can tell how much she loves you when she looks at you…its adorable." I finished with the batter and started cracking eggs and putting them in a different pan.

"Yeah…" He said as he glanced over at her. "I think the fact that she only has one parent makes her much more attached to me. Sometimes I feel bad that she doesn't have a mother. My mom is really the only woman in her life and I worry how that will affect her in the future."

"What do you mean?"

"Well I mean what if it just remains the two of us? What am I gonna do when she's a teenager and she wants to talk about boys or her period?" I looked over at him as I waited for my pancakes to be ready to flip.

"That's a long time from now. You never know what things are going to be like in the future."

"I know, but I can't help but think about it. She's my whole world…I need to take care of her."

I really didn't know what to say to that so all I could do was give him a sympathetic look.

"I'm sorry…" he mumbled, averting his eyes from me. "I'm being a little disheartening, aren't I? I'm not trying to lay my problems on you and be a downer."

"No, no, it's fine." I said, trying to sound understanding. "It's only natural that you would worry about those things. I just wish that I could be more comforting. I guess I just can't relate because I don't have children of my own."

He smiled and put his hand over mine that had been resting on the counter. It was a small gesture but it still sent tingles through my body.

"I'm glad that you're coming with us today, Bella." He said with a beautiful grin.

"Me too." I answered.

We looked at each other for a long moment until I had to take my hand back to flip the pancakes. I looked back over at him questioningly when I heard him chuckling softly.

"I love it when you blush." He explained as he lifted his hand to stroke my cheek with the back of his hand.

I glanced back down at the skillet with a small smile, feeling my cheeks heat up even more. He turned my face back to look at him with his hand that was still on my face and smiled as he leaned into me. He leaned closer and I let my eyes flutter closed, anticipating the moment his lips would touch mine.

"Daddy!" His daughter yelled from the living room. He sighed and then moved away from me and walked towards her direction.

"What is it, sweetie?" He asked, sounding slightly agitated.

"I need your help!"

I sighed and moved the pancakes onto a plate before pouring more batter into the skillet. By the time I had those pancakes flipped and the eggs almost ready, Edward reappeared in the kitchen.

"Sorry about that…" He mumbled, running a hand through his hair.

"I understand. Duty calls." I answered.

"I'm just thankful it's not diaper duty anymore. I would much rather deal with fixing the TiVo than deal with a dirty diaper."

I sighed longingly as I slid the second batch of pancakes onto the plate.

"I miss my TiVo at home…I don't have it in my apartment I only have basic cable." He picked his orange juice up off the counter and took a sip.

"Well feel free to come use mine anytime, although I'm pretty sure the only thing that's ever on it are nickelodeon cartoons."

I laughed and scraped the eggs onto a separate plate.

"Thanks for the offer. Breakfast is ready by the way."

"Chelsea, come eat baby." He called into the living room.

"Daaddddyyyy…" She whined. "I thought I asked you to stop calling me that! I'm going to be in kindergarten soon and you can't be calling me a baby."

I tried to suppress my loud laughter and he laughed softly.

"Sorry, I forgot. But still…breakfast is ready."

I made Chelsea's plate first. I had made her a special pancake with one big circle and two smaller ones on top to look like the shape of Mickey Mouse. I didn't say anything, deciding just to wait and see if she noticed.

"I'm hungry" She announced as she sat down.

"Well good," Edward said "Because Bella worked hard on these pancakes for us." He told her.

"Thank you for coming over to make us breakfast, Bella" She said politely. "Daddy doesn't know how to cook breakfast." I looked at Edward and laughed.

"No problem, I like to cook" She gasped as I sat her plate down in front of her.

"Daddy, look! My pancake looks like Mickey Mouse!" He smiled and looked at her plate.

"Yeah, it does. How about that."

"Did you do that on purpose, Bella?" She asked excitedly.

"Nope. I guess that pancake was just meant for you, huh?"

"Yes, because I _love_ Mickey Mouse. Daddy says when I'm just a little bit older we can go to Disney world and see him."

"I _love_ Disney world." I told her as I made Edward's and my plates with the regular pancakes.

"You've been there?" She asked, impressed.

"Twice when I was younger" I told her.

I carried our food to the table and Edward got our juice and then we both sat down on opposite sides of the round table.

"What is it like?" she asked, shoving a big piece of pancake into her mouth.

"It's incredible." I started as I began eating. "Every Disney character you could ever think of is there and there are so many rides that you don't even have time to ride them all so you have to go back the next day."

"Daddy," She said, turning to Edward. "Bella has to come to Disney World with us." She told him.

We both laughed.

"Oh she does? Why is that?"

"Because she can show us all of the good rides and take me to where Mickey Mouse lives."

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**Don't worry; the zoo will be the next chapter. If I had included it in this one it would have been insanely long.**


	8. The ZOO!

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**A/N: I don't own anything Twilight related, just my perverted thoughts about Edward.**

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Breakfast went more smoothly than I ever could have hoped for. Edward's daughter was more adorable than I ever could have expected and it made my heart soar just to be around her. I had always loved children, but there was something more about this one. This one was special.

After we were done eating I insisted that Edward let me do the dishes while he and Chelsea finished getting ready for the zoo. It was precious to see how excited she was. The site of it made me excited as well.

As I finished loading the dishwasher I could hear Chelsea throwing a minor fit in the living room.

"I want to wear my boots, daddy!"

"But we're gonna be doing a lot of walking, princess. Don't you think you'd be more comfortable in your tennies?"

"But my boots are _prettier_."

There was a long pause and then I heard Edward's sigh of surrender.

"If I let you wear these then you have to be extra careful. Grandma spent a lot of money on these and I don't want you to get anything on them."

"Yes! I promise I'll be really, really careful!"

Sure enough, when they entered the kitchen she was wearing adorable little kid's sized UGG boots on her little feet.

"I love those boots, Chelsea! I have some just like them in a darker brown, you know…" I told her as I lifted the dishwasher shut.

"Really?" she squealed excitedly.

"Yeah but I think yours are a little prettier."

"See, daddy! I told you they were pretty."

"Chels, why don't you go up to your room and pick out a jacket? It might get cold outside."

"Okay." She said happily before bouncing off towards the stairs.

"She has great fashion sense." I said with a smile as I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned back against the granite counter.

"She's certainly very…_insistent_…about what she wants to wear. I don't know where she gets it from…being around guys all the time."

"She reminds me of myself when I was little. Dress up was my absolute favorite pastime. I had so many clothes I don't think I ever wore the same thing twice."

"Well then you two will get along just fine on that similarity alone."

"I hope so." I said honestly.

"Thanks again for doing the dishes by the way, you've already done so much this morning you really didn't need to do that."

"Nonsense…I cooked up this mess so it's only fair I cleaned it."

"Well we ate this mess so we should have helped."

I simply shrugged, knowing neither of us would change our position on the subject.

"Okay," Chelsea's adorable voice rang down from the stairs. "I'm ready to see the monkeys!"

Edward and I both laughed and then gathered our stuff and migrated out to his car.

"Bella," Chelsea started enthusiastically as we walked outside. She was holding Edward's hand and jumping from rock to rock down the sidewalk. "Did you know that I know how to buckle into my booster seat all by myself?"

Edward chuckled softly as he opened the back door to the car for her.

"No, I didn't…." I said, trying to sound impressed. "That's amazing. What a big girl thing to do."

"Yeah" She said smugly. "Daddy sometimes tries to help me, but I don't need him."

"Why don't you show Bella how you do it then?" Edward suggested.

She smiled confidently and climbed up into the back seat of the car. She then slid up into her booster seat and started pulling down the straps and buckling them. When she was done she looked up at us proudly and swung her feet back and forth.

"Wow! Your Daddy didn't even have to help you at all!" I said.

Her smile widened and then Edward laughed and closed her door. He followed me over to the passenger side and, true to his gentleman form, opened my door. I slid into my seat and put my bag down at my feet.

"Can you buckle yourself up too or do you need my help?" Edward whispered with a smirk, only low enough for me to hear.

"I think I can handle it." I said, smiling back at him.

The ride to the zoo was completely comfortable and relaxed. I was surprised that I didn't feel unsure of myself while being around both him and his daughter. I had been worried that I wouldn't know how to act around her but everything felt totally natural. And man, that girl could talk.

I hadn't realized how reserved she had been this morning at breakfast until she was comfortable enough to let lose. She talked on and on the whole way there. She told me about her grandma, her preschool, what kind of bubbles she used in her bath, what her favorite colors were, and gave me a complete list of favorite movies and books. All the while Edward would keep glancing over at me and smiling.

By the time we arrived at the zoo I felt like the only things she hadn't shared with me were her birthday and social security number.

Once we got through the gate we stopped to check out the zoo map and plan out our route. Chelsea stood on Edward's other side holding his hand and swinging their arms back and forth impatiently.

"It seems to pretty much go in a circle, you want to just go right and work our way around until we get back here?" Edward asked, speaking to me. As he spoke he lifted his free hand up to trace with his pointer finger the circular path that he was proposing.

"Yeah, sure…that seems efficient." I agreed.

"Alright then, looks like the elephants are up first."

"NO, DADDY!" I jumped a little at the unexpected sound of Chelsea's protest. "I WANT TO SEE THE GIRAFFES FIRST!"

"We will see the giraffes, princess, just not first." He said to her calmly.

"But I want to see them nowww!"

"I know you do but the giraffes are in the back of the park. We're gonna have to wait until we get to them."

"But Dadddyyyy…" She whined, sticking her lower lip out.

Edward sighed and knelt down to her level.

"Remember when we talked about patience, Chels?"

She nodded but didn't lose her pouting expression.

"Well now is one of those times when we need to have it, okay?"

She nodded again and stopped sticking her lower lip out. She still didn't look happy though.

"We'll get to the giraffes, I promise, we just have to have patience first."

"Okay..." She mumbled.

I had to admit that I was impressed with the way the situation had played out. Up until this point I had sort of gathered the impression that Chelsea got whatever she wanted from Edward. It was nice to see that although he liked to spoil her, he could hold his own when it mattered.

"Alright then, let's go see some elephants."

Chelsea was only mildly interested in the elephants and I have to admit that I didn't blame her. They kind of just stood there and to be honest they're not very pretty to look at either. We spent less than five minutes there before moving on. The next exhibit was a small pond area with flamingos everywhere. She was a little more excited about that one.

"Daddy, they're PINK!"

"Yeah, sweetie…all flamingos are pink. You know that."

I couldn't help but smile when she ran up to the fence. She twisted her fingers through the wire and just stood there staring at them, mesmerized. Edward was standing a few feet behind her with his hands in his pockets, watching with a smile. I folded my arms over my chest, walked over to him, and nudged his side playfully with my hip.

"I think she's more into the flamingos than the elephants." I observed, watching her as well.

"Yeah, well you heard her…they're pink." He said as he looked over at me and flashed me a smirk.

"Valid point. They _are_ pretty."

"I had a really good time last night, by the way." He said, keeping his eyes on his daughter.

"Me too. But I'm still upset I couldn't get you to dance with me."

He smiled but still didn't look away from Chelsea.

"I had more fun watching you."

"Well that doesn't make you sound like a creeper at all." I said, laughing.

One second he was turning his head to look over at me and the next second he was kissing me. It was just a peck but it was still enough to make my heart flutter.

Before I could even register the fact that his lips were on mine, His back was turned to me and he was walking over to his daughter. She had her back turned to us the whole time while she watched the flamingos and didn't see a thing.

"What do you think, Chels? You ready to go see the reptile house?"

She nodded and he took her hand to lead her in the direction of the reptile house. I followed them with a big goofy grin on my face.

…that is until we walked in the door.

When I thought of the zoo reptile house I was thinking somewhere along the lines of cute little turtles and lizards. So imagine my surprise when I walk in to find a huge fucking python staring at me. Sure it was behind glass…but to be honest that didn't make me one hundred percent confident that it wasn't going to break through and kill me.

Edward walked in with Chelsea after opening the door for me but stopped when he saw my face.

"Are you okay?" He asked, sounding genuinely concerned. "You got really pale all the sudden…"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I said, trying to will the blood back into my face.

"Are you sure? You look like you're gonna be sick."

"No, I'm fine…I just…this is really embarrassing but I'm sort of like deathly afraid of snakes."

"Oh. Well maybe we could skip the snakes." He suggested.

"Bella?" Chelsea's small voice suddenly asked. She was still standing at Edward's side with her hand in his.

"Yeah?" I asked as I looked down at her and tried to focus on her cute little face instead of the python planning my death.

"You could hold my other hand if you want to. Maybe then you won't be so scared."

I swear my heart swelled to twice its normal size with how absolutely adorable this little girl was. I glanced up at Edward who was looking down at the little angel with the biggest smile I'd ever seen on his perfect face. I felt a smile flood my own face as I bent down to her level to answer her.

"You know what? I think that would help. And that's very sweet of you. Thank you."

She smiled and extended her hand out to me. I took it eagerly and stood up straight again.

"Ready to be brave?" Edward asked.

"I am now." I answered as I continued to smile down at Chelsea.

As we made our way through the building I began to feel calmer and calmer. Most of the really big reptiles were at the front so as we progressed we started to get to more of the turtles and smaller animals. Edward would laugh at me every time I recoiled away from the snakes and I would flash him an icy glare. It made me feel a little better that Chelsea wasn't all that into them either. She wasn't afraid like I was but she got bored with them easily…mostly because they all slept the whole time. I guess today was my lucky day because I survived the death trap.

The monkeys were the next stop.

Walking into the exhibit was like walking into a thick forest. There were trees everywhere with fences throughout to separate the monkeys from the pathway. There were all kinds of nets and toys fixed into the trees for the monkey's to play on. There were even hammocks hanging for them to sleep on.

"Daddy I can't see any monkeys!" Chelsea complained as we walked up the wooden pathway.

"You've gotta look hard for them they kind of blend into the trees a little." He explained. "Here," He lifted her swiftly into his arms and I couldn't help notice the muscles in his arms flex as he did so. "See those two up there in that tree?" He asked her as he pointed off into the distance.

I was too busy checking him out to follow in the direction he pointed out.

"Oh, I _do_ seem them! Those are little monkeys. Are they babies?"

"I don't think so; I think they're just small ones."

"Daddy, look at that monkey! It has pretty colors on its butt!"

Everyone one around us burst out laughing, including Edward and I. That made me curious enough to finally tear my eyes from Edward's body and look around them to find what she was looking at.

Edward carried her over a few steps so he could read the informational post about them.

"This says they're a type of baboon." He told her.

One second she was staring at them intently and the next moment she was completely uninterested. What a typical four year old.

"I'm done with monkeys" She announced abruptly. "Let's go."

Edward laughed and shook his head as we started walking again.

"What's next, Bella?" He asked me as he put Chelsea back down on her feet.

I fished the paper map out of my bad and examined it.

"Hyenas and gazelles" I answered.

It turned out that the hyenas and gazelles started a whole slew of animals on a long trail. There were bison, bobcats, camels, hedgehogs, meerkats, deer, bears, elk, zebras, and even warthogs. It was a pretty long walk and I was really impressed that Chelsea kept up so well. Edward barely carried her at all. She didn't even seem to tire that easily. She was remaining pretty consistently enthusiastic.

Right as we left the warthogs Chelsea started to mention that she was getting hungry. It was perfect timing because we were about half way through the exhibits and we were just approaching the food court.

We stopped and had a quick lunch. Edward and I both had burgers while Chelsea ate chicken nuggets shaped like zoo animals. As the day went on I was becoming more and more enthralled by her. It was as if she had some kind of spell over me and I simply could not resist her charm.

After lunch the next stop was the aquarium. It was a small one since this was a zoo and not an intricate fish exhibit, but I had heard good things about it before. Supposedly they had some really awesome fish.

When we entered the building I headed for the bathroom and told Edward that I would catch up to them. When I came out I was stopped in my tracks by the most heart-warming thing I had ever seen.

The room was empty except for Edward and his daughter. Edward had her in one arm balanced on his hip while with the other he was pointing up to something swimming around in the glass in front of them. His back was turned to me and her head of golden curls was rested on his shoulder while one of her arms was wrapped around his neck. He turned his head slightly to kiss her forehead and then moved his hand to point to something else in the tank as he whispered something into her ear.

I felt like my heart was so big it was making it difficult for me to breath. I was more attracted to him right now than I ever had been to anyone in my entire life and this time there was nothing physical about it. I was attracted to the man he was proving to be and the precious way he interacted with his daughter.

He turned to the left a little to look at something else and did a double take when he caught me staring at him in his peripheral vision.

"Hey," He called as he started walking towards me across the big circular room. "What are you doing just standing over there?" He asked, laughing a little.

"Nothing" I answered lamely as my eyes shifted to look at Chelsea in his arms.

Her eyes were slightly unfocused and her lids looked heavy. Her head was still resting on Edwards shoulder and her breathing was slow. She looked exhausted. It was the complete opposite of the way she had been before I went to the bathroom. Edward followed my gaze and smiled.

"My little girl's getting sleepy. Would you be okay with just swinging by the giraffes real quick and then heading out?"

"Yeah, sure" I said as I smiled at Chelsea.

I felt bad that we hadn't been able to make it to the giraffes earlier. Chelsea enjoyed seeing them but she didn't show nearly as much enthusiasm as she had earlier in the day. We read her the fun facts about them and she watched as they ate leaves off of the tops of the trees. Before we left we even swung by the gift shop where Edward bought her a stuffed giraffe almost as big as her. She loved it so much that she felt the need to seatbelt it into the seat next to her when we got back to the car.

"Have you picked a name for the giraffe yet, Chels?" Edward asked her as we pulled out of the parking lot.

"I'm still thinking."

"You could name it Melman like the giraffe in Madagascar." He suggested.

"No, I don't like that name."

"Well is it a boy giraffe or a girl giraffe?" I asked her.

"A girl giraffe…and she's a baby."

"Hmm…" Edward said as if were thinking really hard.

"I know. I want to name her Bella! Bella has a pretty name."

Edward looked over at me and flashed a breathtaking smile.

"I agree." He said as he looked back at the road. "I think Bella is a beautiful name."

I turned around to smile at Chelsea who was reaching over to pat the giraffe on the head.

"She'll be my little baby Bella."

We had almost an hour long drive back to Edward's house and she was asleep within ten minutes. I kept turning around to look at her peaceful face and each time I turned back around I could see Edward smiling out of the corner of my eye.

"I think I'm starting to like your daughter more than I like you." I said to him in a whisper after a few minutes.

"Oh yeah? I better step up my game then. Although, I don't know if I can compete with her…she's pretty adorable." He replied with a smirk.

"Exactly. I don't know if you can compete with her either."

"I'm surprised by how well she's taken to you. She's normally incredibly shy around new people, especially women. But she got over that with you really quickly."

"Does that mean she's been exposed to a lot of new women then?" I asked jokingly.

"No, quit the opposite actually. She spends most of her time around guys, except for grandma, and so I think she's just less comfortable with meeting women."

"Well I hope she feels comfortable with me."

"I think she does. Probably because you're not much older than she is. She can relate to you." I could tell he was fighting off laughter as he spoke.

"Oh, shut up." I said, laughing as well.

That was the first time he had made a joke about our age difference and I liked it. The fact that he could joke about it meant that he didn't take it seriously and that it wasn't an issue.

When we parked in Edward's garage I turned around for one last look at Chelsea sleeping in her booster seat. Her loose curls were splayed out around her face and her little pink lips were in a perfect pout. Edward turned in his seat as well to look at her with me.

"I swear she gets prettier every time I look at her. She's such a beautiful baby…"

Edward smiled and then chuckled softly.

"Just don't say that in front of her while she's awake."

"What do you mean?"

"She absolutely hates being called a baby. She'll correct you every time."

I laughed as we both got out of the car. Edward asked me to come inside and I offered to take her things in with me while he got her. He handed me her giraffe and her jacket and I waited as he started unbuckling her. As he did so he woke her up and she was not happy about it. She locked her arms tightly around his neck and started wailing as he lifted her out of the car. I followed behind as he led the way into the house and gently swayed her back and forth in his arms.

I closed the door from the garage behind me and put my bag and Chelsea's stuff down on the kitchen table. Edward stood in the middle of the kitchen smoothing her hair back and kissing her face, trying to sooth her. It quickly became apparent that she wasn't going to calm down. He sighed and turned to me.

"I'm gonna go take her to her room for a nap. Just hang out down her for a few minutes and I'll be right back."

"Yeah, sure, take your time." I said with a polite smile.

He smiled back at me and then left the room. I could hear Chelsea's cries fading as he went up the stairs. Once he was gone I sat down at the table and pulled out my phone to check my messages. I answered a few text messages from Alice and Evan. I had a missed call from my mom so I tried her back but got her voicemail. After that I went through my emails which were mostly just annoying spam.

After another minute or so I wondered over to the refrigerator and started looking at the pictures that were attached with magnates to the side of it. There was the same picture of Chelsea and Edward that he had shown me the first time I had been over here and then there were two more that also included her. One was her sitting in grass with a middle-aged looking woman. I assumed from what Edward had told me that this was probably his mother. The second picture was Chelsea being held in Jaspers arms. Emmett stood on her other side and was placing a huge kiss on her cheek while she giggled violently. Below the pictures was a calendar where Edward had jotted down various events and people's birthdays.

I jumped in surprise when I felt two arms circle around my waist from behind. Edward laughed as I turned to face him and lifted my arms around his neck.

"Did I startle you?"

"Yeah, I didn't even hear you come in…"

"Mm…I was stealthy…"

He leaned down to kiss me and I smiled against his lips. It felt nice to be able to touch him freely after resisting jumping his hot ass all day. I glanced at the clock after we pulled away. It was almost five.

"Do you think she'll sleep through the night?" I asked.

He looked at the clock after me and then shrugged.

"I don't know. If she does then she'll definitely be up early as hell tomorrow…"

"She seemed pretty exhausted."

"Yeah, well she had an exciting day."

"It was really fun. I'm glad that we went."

"Me too, I think she had a really good time."

I smiled and moved closer to press my body up against his.

"But did _you_ have a good time?"

He leaned his forehead down against mine and rested both hands on my lower back, holding me close to him.

"I had a fabulous time. Do you have any plans tonight?"

"No. I didn't want to make any plans since I didn't know what time we would get back."

"Well she's probably gonna be out for a while. If you wanna stay we can order a pizza or something and watch a movie."

I nodded and stretched up on my tip toes to kiss him again.

"That sounds perfect."

"What kind of pizza do you like?"

"Anything" I told him honestly. "I'll eat anything from cheese to supreme."

"Alright well there's a movie closet in the living room next to the book shelf. Why don't you pick something out and I'll order something."

"Okay."

He slid his hands down to squeeze my ass and then lifted me off my feet for a moment while he placed another peck on my lips. I giggled against his lips as he put me back down and then I went off to the living room while he went to find the number for the pizza place.

I found the movie closet rather quickly and was amazed. There was row and after row of movies all the way from the ceiling to the floor. He clearly had every movie ever made. Two rows were dedicated just to Disney and other children movies…obviously Chelsea's.

I was overwhelmed. I didn't even know where to start looking. There were old movies, new movies, movies I had never heard of, and classic hits.

"Find anything yet?" Edward asked as he entered the room.

"Um, no…it's going to take me hours to look through all of these."

He laughed and walked over to me. He put his hand on the small of my back while we looked at all of the movies together.

"What are you in the mood for? Action, comedy, horror, romance?" When he mentioned romance he slid his hand down to squeeze me ass again.

I laughed and swatted his hand away playfully.

"You have a thing for asses don't you?"

"Just yours" He corrected with a straight face, keeping his eyes locked on the movies.

I lifted his arm and placed it around my shoulders and then slinked my way into his side and wrapped my arm around his waist.

"Let's watch something scary."

"Scary movies are my favorite."

"I don't watch them very much but I think I would enjoy one with you." I said, tightening the arm I had around his waist.

"Don't worry I'll hold your hand if you get too scared."

"I'm counting on it."

"Those are all of the scary movies." He said, pointing out the fourth row up. "Pick one you haven't seen yet."

"What about Halloween? Is that good?"

"You've never seen Halloween?" he asked, sounding shocked.

"Uh, no…is that bad?"

"Halloween is a classic. That's what we're watching."

"Well okay then." I said, laughing.

He grabbed the movie and closed the door to the closet. I went and settled myself in the middle of his plush and comfy couch while he closed all of the blinds in the room.

"Dark and ominous…" I commented while I watched him.

"Well I have to set the right mood for a scary movie."

He put the movie into the DVD player and then grabbed the remote and a big blanket off of a chair across the room. He came over and sat down on the couch next to me between myself and the arm rest. He slid his hand between the cushions and pulled a lever that turned his end of the couch into an oversized recliner.

"This couch is awesome…it's really comfortable."

"It's even more comfortable over here." He said, gesturing to his lap.

"Is it? Maybe I should come over there and try it out."

"I think you should."

He lifted his arm up along the back of the couch to open his lap to me and I crawled over to him. He pulled me up and over until I was on his lap and turned to the side with my back against the arm rest.

"See? Comfy…" He said with a smirk.

"Very comfy…you were right."

"There's only one more thing you need to be in absolute paradise."

"What's that?"

He put his hand on the back of my neck and pulled me closer until his lips met mine. It started out as just a soft and sweet kiss but it quickly turned into something more. His hand slid around to hold the side of my neck as his lips parted mine. Our tongues met and it felt like electricity was crackling as they circled each other slowly. Things got heated and I, while keeping our lips locked, repositioned myself until I was straddling his waist. As our kisses deepened and our breathing quickened every single nerve in my body was aware of his presence.

He pulled his lips away from mine after a few minutes and starting kissing down my jaw while I sat there with a big smile on my face.

"You smell so good…" He murmured against my skin, making my smile widen.

"You wanna know something?" I whispered into the heated air around us.

"Sure, enlighten me…" He said between kisses down my neck.

"Seeing you interact with your daughter today…was such a big turn on…"

I could feel his hot breath against my skin as he laughed softly into my neck.

"Why is that funny?" I asked, my smile shifting into a frown.

"It's not, it's just…" He kissed his way back up my neck until we were face to face again and he could look me in the eyes. "It's just something I'm not used to hearing. It's refreshing, though. Usually the fact that I have a kid is like a repellant to women."

I shook my head and traced my finger down the side of his perfect face.

"Not me. I like absolutely everything I know about you so far and she's part of that."

I was expecting a response to that statement but instead I got his lips back on mine and kissing me with more passion than he had yet. I wasn't complaining, though. I would take that over words any day.

Within seconds we were making out again and breathing heavily into each other's mouths. After a while his hand reached under the hem of my shirt to rest on my bare side. I had to pull away from his lips to recover from the hitch that it caused in my breathing.

"Is that okay?" He asked, misunderstanding my reaction.

"Yeah, yeah, absolutely" I whispered as I nodded vigorously.

He captured my lips with his again and while he kissed me he pushed my shirt up to right below my breasts and let his hands explore. As our tongues mingled again his fingertips caressed my bare sides, back, ribs, and stomach. They were feather-light touches but set my skin on fire. When it was time to pull apart again for air, he left his forehead resting against mine.

"You know, you're a really good kisser…" I whispered, still breathless.

"Am I? That's surprising. I've been out of the game for a while."

"Well a hiatus did you well then."

"Maybe we just make a good match."

"Absolutely"

He pushed some strands of hair out of my face and then leaned forward to kiss right behind my ear. I wrapped my arms around his neck and combed my fingers through his hair. He had the kind of hair that women would pay a great deal of money for. It was thick, soft, and a gorgeous shade of bronze. His fingertips starting running back and forth across the waistline of my jeans and I could feel that things down south were getting pretty slick.

And then the doorbell rang.

I jumped a little in surprise at the sound and Edward sighed. I slid off of his lap and then he stood up and I followed behind him.

"Please let me pay for the pizza." I requested. "You paid for the zoo tickets _and_ our lunch. You should let me get this…"

"Absolutely not" he answered. His tone and facial expression made it clear that there was no point in protesting.

He kissed my forehead lightly and then fished his wallet out of his back pocket and headed towards the front door.

I followed him to the front door where he paid and retrieved the pizza and then I followed him into the kitchen where he sat it down on the island.

"Take this into the living room with two plates and go ahead and help yourself to whatever you want to drink. Grab me one of whatever you're having, too. I'm gonna go check and make sure the doorbell didn't wake up the little monster I've got sleeping upstairs."

"That's a nice way to refer to your child." I said, laughing.

"Just wait until you spend more time with her and you'll see what I'm talking about." He answered while laughing with me.

He left to go upstairs and I searched the cabinets until I found the plates. I took two down and set them on top of the pizza box. I put a small stack of napkins on top of the plates and then I grabbed two cokes out of the fridge and put those on top of the napkins. I carried my stack into the living room and spread everything out on the coffee table.

Edward came downstairs shortly after I got into the living room and sat down next to me on the couch.

"How's she doing?"

"She's still out like a light."

We decided to wait and start the movie after dinner so while we ate our pizza we chatted about various small aspects of our life. When we were done eating Edward started the movie and pulled me back into his lap before wrapping the blanket around us. We kissed a little but surprisingly actually did pay attention to the T.V.

I loved how attentive he was to me. We watched the movie mostly in silence but he was constantly stroking my hair or placing light kisses on my neck and jaw. He held my hand the whole time and being in his arms felt so comfortable.

I didn't want to stay too late because was working the next day so I left when the movie was over. Before I did though he walked me to my car where we shared a few, or maybe more than a few, slow and sensual kisses.

"So," He whispered breathlessly when he pulled away. "When will I see you again? Thanksgiving is this week so I'm assuming that you're going home."

"Actually, no," I started as I looked down to play with the material of his shirt. "My mom lives so far away that it's not worth the trip just for two days. And my dad is going on some fishing trip."

"Oh" He answered. He looked like he felt bad for me so I shrugged and tried to remain casual about it.

"It's not a big deal though. My Dad asked me if I wanted him to stay behind but I insisted that he went ahead. Special occasion meals can get kind of awkward just the two of us."

He nodded and twirled a piece of my hair around his finger with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Well…why don't you come over here for Thanksgiving?"

"No." I answered quickly. "That's like, a family thing…I don't want to intrude. It's really not a big deal, I don't mind being alone."

"No, I'm serious. I would love for you to be here. Jasper's going to be here since he doesn't have much a family and Emmett will be here too. He has to be at work the next day so he doesn't have time to travel home. And I mean my mom will be here too but I would love for you to meet her."

I looked at him hesitantly for a long moment. I did notice that he didn't mention his father but I figured now wasn't the time to ask about it.

"I don't know Edward…"

"Bella, please, I really want you to come. And I really do want you to meet my mom. Now that you've met Chelsea she'll probably insist on it anyway and this will be a really relaxed way to do it since Em and Jazz will be here too."

He was giving me such a persuasive look and I didn't have the resistance to fight.

"Okay." I finally agreed after a long moment of silence."

"Great." He said with his perfect smile.

"I have one condition, though. I insist on helping with dinner."

"That's fine. I'm sure my mom will appreciate the help."

"Alright," I sighed. "I guess count me in then."

I couldn't deny that I was a little excited about spending Thanksgiving with Edward but in the back of my mind I was wondering what I had gotten myself into. I thought I had been nervous about meeting his daughter but now I got to worry about meeting his mother…


	9. New Experiences Part 1

**EPOV**

**.**

**.**

Driving to Jaspers house on Wednesday, I was feeling a mixture of exhaustion and relief. It was almost one in the afternoon and I was on my way to pick up Chelsea. I had been on call at the hospital all night but my happiness to finally be out of there outweighed the tiredness. I'd worked pretty much nonstop since Sunday so that I could have the next few days off for Thanksgiving like I'd requested.

I was anxious about Bella meeting my mother tomorrow. I knew that their personalities would get along fine but after everything I had been through my mom had become increasingly protective over me and especially my daughter. I just hoped that she would see in Bella what I did and not view her as some sort of threat.

I parked in Jasper's driveway and stepped out of the car with a loud yawn.

Normally I would have left Chelsea with my mom today, as I had the past two days, but she had some charity benefit luncheon to attend and therefore I was left to turn to Jasper. Sometimes I wondered how I'd made it through this past four years. I wouldn't have been able to do it without my mom and Jasper. I hated having to depend on them so much but I had to work. I had to provide the best life for my daughter that I could.

I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket as I walked up the sidewalk to Jasper's house.

"Hey mom" I answered.

"Hi, sweetheart"

"What's wrong? Did something not go well at lunch?"

As I waited for her answer I could hear her sigh. I stopped and waited on the front porch so I could finish my conversation before going in.

"No, everything went fine. I guess I'm just feeling a little frustrated after spending so much time with these women. I've been with them nearly every afternoon to plan this event and I suppose I've just had my fill of protocol and procedure."

"Well at least it's over now, why don't you go home and just relax?"

"That's actually why I'm calling; I wanted to ask you something."

"Go for it." I answered, yawning again.

"Well I was thinking about going up to the lake house just for the night and thought maybe I could take Chelsea with me. We can go grocery shopping on our way home and then I'll just bring her back when I come tomorrow for Thanksgiving dinner."

Her tone sounded hopeful and I couldn't help but smile.

The lake house had been mother's get away for years. She bought it shortly after getting her money from divorcing my no good father. Recently she had taken to taking Chelsea with her. She claimed it was good girl time for them and she wanted to establish it as a haven for Chelsea just as much as it was for her. My mom couldn't get enough time with the kid and I couldn't blame her. She was adorable.

"Yeah, of course mom" I answered quickly. "She loves going up there with you and I think it would be a fun thanksgiving treat."

I felt like a bad father for secretly being glad to have Chelsea off my hands for the day…but I was. My sleeping schedule was all fucked up from work and if my mom took her then that meant I could go home and sleep all afternoon. Besides, I wasn't going to tell my mom no. I owed her my sanity ten times over for all the help she had given me in recent years. As far as I was concerned she could do whatever she wanted with Chelsea.

"Fabulous! I'm so excited. I think a night at the lake with my precious grandbaby is just what I need. What does your schedule look like today? When can I stop by for her?"

"I just got off work so I'm getting her from Jasper's right now."

"I thought you were supposed to get off a couple hours ago?"

"I was but I had an emergency procedure run late."

"Has she eaten lunch yet?"

"I don't know, I haven't gone inside"

"Well how about I just plan on being at the house in an hour?"

"Yeah that's fine."

"Okay, see you soon sweetie."

"Bye, mom"

I hung up the phone and the turned to the front door. It was unlocked so I just walked in. Although, if it had been locked it wouldn't have mattered. I had the spare key on my key ring just as Jasper had mine.

"Daddy's here!" Chelsea's voice rang from the kitchen.

"Hey, princess"

I walked into the kitchen where Chelsea twisted in her chair to smile up at me lovingly. She had a coloring book, crayons, and a cup of apple juice in front of her. Jasper sat opposite of her at the table with his laptop in front of him.

"Hey, man, glad you made it out of there alive." Jasper greeted me.

I laughed a little and sat down in the chair next to Chelsea.

"Yeah I know, surprise surprise huh?"

"You look exhausted. You want a cup of coffee or something?"

"Yeah, thanks. Coffee sounds amazing right now."

Jasper nodded and got up to go start some coffee while I leaned to the right to place a kiss in my daughter's hair.

"What are you coloring there, pumpkin?"

"I'm coloring a picture for grandma."

"Well that's sweet of you."

I looked over her shoulder to see that she was coloring in a picture of Cinderella. She abruptly put her crayon down and pulled a picture out from under the book. She apparently had already finished coloring it in earlier.

"Here daddy, I did this one for you first."

I smiled as I took the picture from her small hands. It was more scribbling than actually coloring in the lines but it meant just the same as if she had drawn me the fucking Mona Lisa.

"You did this for me?"

"Yes. It's sleeping beauty. That's what you always call me when I wake up."

"Yes it is, and you did a great job on it. Thank you."

"Don't feel too special…" Jasper called from over at the kitchen counter. "I got one too."

As I looked over at him he pointed to his refrigerator where a new picture had been hung up.

"Yours isn't sleeping beauty though so I _am _special."

Jasper came back to the table with two cups of coffee and placed one in front of me.

"Thanks" I mumbled before taking a huge swig.

"Did you eat lunch yet, Chels?" I asked as I smoothed back some of her hair.

"Yes" She answered as she continued coloring happily.

"We had chicken nuggets with Uncle Jasper's famous dipping sauce." Jasper informed me.

"Famous dipping sauce?" I asked curiously.

"Its ketchup and mayonnaise mixed together." He answered.

"That sounds disgusting, Jazz."

"It's good. And Chels loved it."

I shook my head in disgust and then took another sip of coffee and turned back towards Chelsea.

"So I talked to grandma a minute ago. She wants to take you up to the lake with her tonight. What do you think?"

"Okay!" she sounded excited but she didn't look up from what she was doing. "I can give her my picture!"

"Yup, you can. And then tomorrow she's going to take you to help her grocery shop for our thanksgiving dinner tomorrow night."

"Is Grandma going to come eat with us tomorrow?"

"Yeah, she is. And so are Uncle Emmett and Uncle Jasper…and Bella."

I could see out of the corner of my eye that Jasper looked up at me curiously.

"Oh, okay." She said indifferently.

I told Jasper as soon as we'd finished our coffee that I should get going. I told my mom I'd be home in an hour so I couldn't stay long. When we left he walked with Chelsea and I out to the car. I had a feeling I knew why. Sure enough, as soon as Chelsea buckled herself in and I shut the door for her Jasper took advantage of our one moment of privacy.

"You invited Bella to Thanksgiving?"

"Yeah" I answered, trying to sound casual.

"That's kind of a big deal, man."

"No it's not." I said with a shrug.

I could tell by the look on his face he wasn't buying it. I sighed and lowered my voice a little bit so that I was sure Chelsea couldn't hear from inside the car.

"Look, Jazz…it's not like I'm trying to make her part of the family or something by inviting her to a holiday. She didn't have any plans to go home and I wasn't going to have her sit in her apartment by herself. I care about her."

He nodded and lifted his hand to rub the back of his neck.

"I guess you two are more serious than I thought."

I decided to ignore that and change the subject.

"So since Chelsea's gonna be gone for the night, maybe we can do something."

"Aren't you exhausted from work?"

"Yeah but I'm gonna go home and sleep right now."

"Oh. Well yeah we can do something. Alice is off work tonight maybe you could call Bella and we could all do something?"

"Yeah, that sounds awesome."

"Alright, just give me a call later."

I nodded and opened the driver side door and got in.

"I'll talk to you later."

He nodded again then leaned past me to look at Chelsea.

"Bye, Chels. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye." She answered with her charming smile.

.

.

.

.

.

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**BPOV**

.

.

Rosalie and I were enjoying our day off of school, curled up on the couch and watching lifetime movies. It was our guilty pleasure. They were so cheesy and predictable yet we had a blast watching them.

"Don't trust him, bitch!" Rosalie yelled at the T.V. "He fucking raped her! It's so obvious! Get the hell out of there!"

"Stop hoarding the Pringles." I said as I reached over to take them out of her lap.

My phone started ringing in my room so I put the tube down and jumped off of the couch. I was worried that I wouldn't get it in time but it was right on its last ring as I opened it.

"Hello?"

"Hey." Edward's sultry voice said through the phone.

"Hey yourself…What are you up to?"

He was quiet for a moment and then I heard him yawn.

"I'm in bed…I just woke up."

"Oh yeah?" I couldn't help my mind from visualizing Edward in bed, hopefully naked. Or at least shirtless. "Did you have a good nap?"

"Mhmm…very good, but it would have been better if I'd had you here napping with me."

"Another time" I promised.

"I'll hold you up on that."

"I hope you do."

"What about a full night's sleep instead?"

"Is that an offer?"

"It is. An offer for tonight, actually."

"Tonight?" I asked, confused. I thought this had all been a hypothetical conversation.

"Yeah. My mom asked me spur of the moment if she could take Chelsea with her to the lake and so that freed up my night. I asked Jasper if he wanted to do something and he suggested that we have you and Alice over."

"So it was Jasper's idea to hang out with me, not yours." I joked.

"Who says I wouldn't have suggested it if he didn't?"

"Touché. So when did these plans to hang out turn into a sleepover?"

"Well it doesn't have to be but I would really like for you to stay the night with me. Besides, we planned on getting some alcohol so I don't want anybody to have to not drink so they can be designated driver. I told Jasper that he and Alice could sleep in one of the guest rooms."

I paused a moment and thought. Spending the night with Edward sounded amazing but I didn't know what all came along with the offer. Was he expecting us to have sex? What if I talked in my sleep? That could be pretty embarrassing…

Before I could answer Edward spoke up. I guess my silence made him uneasy.

"I mean if you don't want to stay you don't have to but I don't want you drinking and driving. You could stay in the other guest room if you want to."

The thought of sleeping in a guest room was even worse. If I was going to stay the night at Edward's house then I wanted it to be in his bed with him.

"No, no, I do want to. I was just thinking. But that sounds nice."

"Okay, good. I wouldn't want to make you uncomfortable but I like the idea of sleeping with you in my arms."

"I like the idea of me sleeping in your arms too." I said with a smile.

"Oh, and one other thing. Emmett's coming over too. I don't want him to feel like the fifth wheel or anything so I was thinking maybe you could bring Rosalie?"

"Um…I'll ask."

I wasn't sure what Rose would say about going. She had a very strict one night stand rule…keep it a one night stand.

"Okay, great. What do you like to drink?"

"Vodka and cranberry."

"Got it. Say around eight?"

"Sure, sounds good."

"Oh, and bring a bathing suit. I'm heating up the pool and hot tub."

I smiled at the thought of being in the hot tub with Edward.

"Okay, will do."

"See you soon then."

"Bye."

Turns out it was just as difficult to convince Rosalie to go with me as I thought it would be. She wasn't thrilled with the idea of seeing Emmett again but I assured her that no one was expecting her to sleep with him. To be honest, I could see where her concerns were coming from. Alice and Jasper were together and Edward and I were pretty much an unofficial couple. It was probable that Emmett and Rosalie would feel paired up all evening. Rose was a good friend though and said that she would go for me. I think the fact that free alcohol and a hot tub were involved is what swayed her. I agreed with Edward about not wanting Emmett to be the fifth wheel so I was thankful that she finally gave in.

So, that night Rosalie and I threw our bikinis and toothbrushes into our purses and left for Edward's house. By the time we pulled up I was generally over my nerves. I was more excited now. Spending the night with Edward seemed like a good way to move forward with our relationship.

Rosalie commented on how nice the house was as we walked up to the front door and I agreed. The house was undeniably amazing. She was even more impressed when I told her that Edward had designed it himself.

There was no answer at the front door so after a few minutes I checked to see if it was unlocked. It was, so I let ourselves in and closed the door behind me. I walked through the entry way but I didn't hear or see anyone.

"Edward?" I called out.

No answer. We walked into the living room and then I saw Edward's glorious body outside through the window.

"They're out back." I told Rosalie. "Come on."

I led her to the back door and we went outside where I saw Edward and Jasper standing by the pool and Alice sprawled out on one of the lounge chairs with a blanket wrapped around her. It was chilly out but not freezing. It definitely would have been too cold to swim if Edward hadn't heated up the pool. Alice had some kind of mixed drink in her hand while the guys each had a beer. Edward had a long net in his hand and seemed to be trying to fish something out of the pool. They all three looked at us when they heard the door open.

"Hey, ladies!" Alice called to us.

"Hey bitch!" Rosalie said as she hurried over to Alice and sat down in the chair next to her.

I locked eyes with Edward and we both smile simultaneously. I hurried over to him happily and wrapped my arms around his waist. He wrapped the arm of the hand that he was holding his beer with around my neck and pulled me head against his chest.

"Hi." I spoke against his shirt and my voice was muffled.

"Hey, gorgeous"

As soon as I pulled away to look at him he leaned down to kiss me. I smiled against his lips and kissed him back.

"Hey Bella, nice to see you again" Jasper said from somewhere behind me.

I turned from Edward to face him.

"Hey, good to see you too"

"I hear that you got to meet our little Chelsea last weekend."

"Yeah, I did. And I'm glad. She's adorable; we had a blast at the zoo."

"So I hear. I'm glad that you guys hit it off so well."

"Yeah, me too"

"And you're even meeting Esme tomorrow, that's a lot for one week."

"I guess so." I said with a shrug.

Was Jasper trying to insinuate that it was too soon for me to be meeting Edward's family? I glanced over at Edward to see him looking at Jasper with an expression that I was having trouble reading. I looked back over at Jasper who smiled and then turned to walk over towards Alice, asking if she needed another drink.

"Well that was weird."

Edward sighed and turned back to the pool to fish out some more leaves.

"Don't worry about him."

"Does he not like me?"

"No, it's not that. He's just being weird. None of my friends and family are used to me dating so I guess nobody really knows what to make of it."

"Oh."

I didn't know what else to say. I was aware now more than ever that the people in Edward's life may be not as supportive about our relationship as I had assumed.

I think Edward sensed my uneasiness. He pulled the net out of the pool and then turned to me and took my hand.

"Don't worry about it. Let's go get you something to drink."

"So that's your plan then? Get me all liquored up?"

"Of course, then I can have my way with you."

We made our way back into the kitchen where Edward fixed me a vodka and cranberry. I sat up on the counter while he leaned against the one across from me and we chatted for a little while by ourselves.

After a few minutes Jasper, Alice, and Rosalie came inside. Jasper grabbed another beer while Rosalie and Alice made themselves long island iced tea.

I drained my glass quickly. I wasn't driving tonight and I was planning to have a good time. Edward raised his eyebrows at me as I threw back my last gulp.

"What?" I asked with a smile.

"Nothing" he said, shaking his head. "You want another one?"

I nodded and handed him my glass. I listened to Alice and Rosalie chatting about some guy Rosalie had met the past weekend while I watched Edward make my drink. He handed it to me and then went to make a Jack and coke for himself.

"EDUARDO!"

I jumped a little in surprise as Emmett's loud voice echoed through the house. A moment later he turned the corner into the kitchen.

"Hey, man." Edward greeted him. "You want a drink? I was just making myself a Jack and coke."

"Nah, I'm good. I'll just grab a beer."

"What's up?" Jasper asked as he went to greet Emmett in a man-hug.

"Nothin' much, bro. What about you?"

"Same shit, different day"

"Hey there, JB" Emmett said to me with a smirk.

"Hey, Emmett" I answered with a soft laugh.

As soon as Edward finished his drink he came over to stand between my legs where I still sat on the counter. I reached forward and discreetly started scratching his back.

"Hey, Rosalie" Emmett said to her with a nod.

"Hi" She answered without looking at him.

I felt slightly bad for dragging Rose along with me. I could feel the awkwardness between them and I truly did sympathize.

Emmett and Alice then shared a quick greeting before Emmett turned to grab a beer from the fridge.

"Is the pool ready to go yet, Edward?" Jasper asked.

"No, not yet. It will probably be ready in like an hour."

"Well we need to do something fun in the mean time."

"Let's play a drinking game!" Alice said excitedly.

"Hell yes!" Emmett agreed. "How about kings?"

"I hate that game." Rosalie said as if she were offended by the suggestion. Emmett cowered away from her and took a long gulp of his beer.

"How about never have I ever?" Alice suggested.

"What's that?" Edward asked before taking a sip of his drink.

"You've never played never have I ever?" Alice asked, shocked.

"No." Edward answered with a shrug. "What? Is it really popular or something?"

"Yeah kind of but it's really fun especially with big groups." She answered.

"You can't blame him…he's old. He doesn't know all of the cool drinking games." I teased as I snaked my hand up under his shirt to run my fingertips along the bare skin of his lower back.

I felt him shiver at my touch but otherwise he didn't acknowledge it.

"Be nice." He teased back as he reached to his side to squeeze my calf.

"Okay, so it's settled." Alice started. "That's what we're playing. Edward, We're gonna need six shot glasses."

Edward retrieved the shot glasses along with a bottle of Patron and a bottle of Greygoose.

"I have to hand it to you, Bells." Rosalie whispered to me as we all migrated to the living room. "You're man has good taste in alcohol."

"Thanks, but he's not officially my man yet."

"Oh, trust me…official or not, he's your man. I can tell just by the way he looks at you."

"Really?"

"Absolutely. You are most definitely the _only_ girl on that man's radar. He wants you bad, my little Bella."

I opened my mouth to say something else but we were all now congregated in the living room and I didn't want Edward or his friends to hear me gushing over him.

Jasper sat down in an arm chair and Alice curled up on his lap. Edward sat down on the couch so I went and sat next to him, followed by Rosalie who sat on my other side. Emmett sprawled out across the loveseat across from us.

I brought my feet up under me and curled into Edward's side with my arms folded across my chest. It felt a lot chillier in here than it had in the kitchen.

"Are you cold, baby?" Edward breathed into my ear, sending more chills down my spine for a different reason.

"A little" I said as I nodded and tried not to blush.

"I'll get a blanket."

He stood up and put his glass down on the end table while he went over to a closet and pulled out a blanket.

"Shall I explain the rules?" Alice asked.

"Yeah" Edward said as he reclaimed his seat next to me and spread the blanket out over us.

"Alright so everyone puts three fingers up. The first person starts and says something they have never done, for example 'never have I ever been to Disneyworld.' So then everyone that has been to Disneyworld would put a finger down. Then the next person goes and makes up a new one. The first person to put all three fingers down has to take a shot."

"Alright, sounds easy enough." Edward said as he picked his glass up of the table and took a sip.

"Perfect! I'll start then." Alice said happily. "Never have I ever been out of the country."

Edward, Rosalie, and Jasper all put one finger down.

"Where did you go?" I asked Edward curiously as I looked over at him.

Maybe this game would be fun. It would give me a chance to learn new things about Edward.

"Jasper and I went to Mexico with a couple other friends for spring break once in college."

"My turn!" Emmett yelled. I had to smile at how excited he seemed. He had a strong personality. "Never have I ever done sixty nine before."

Edward, Rosalie, and Jasper all put a second finger down. Rosalie rolled her eyes as she did so.

Maybe I was wrong. This game would give me a chance to learn new things about Edward, but were they things I wanted to know? Hell, who am I kidding? I wanted to know everything about him…good and bad.

I didn't look at Edward but I felt him tense a little beside me. I felt bad for him. He was probably embarrassed that I was learning about his sexual history this way.

"Your turn, Bella" Alice said, shaking me out of my abyss of thoughts.

"Uh…" I thought for a moment and then smiled when I thought of one that would get Jasper, Rosalie, and Edward out all at the same time.

"Never have I ever had a _legal_ sip of alcohol."

Everyone laughed as Edward, Rosalie, and Jasper all put their last fingers down.

"Damn, I didn't even lose one finger!" I said proudly.

Emmett got up and moved to the coffee table, lining up three shot glasses.

"What will it be guys, vodka or tequila?"

Everyone wanted tequila so Emmett filled the three shot glasses with Patron and distributed them. He passed Edward's to me and I passed it on to Edward and watched him take it like a champ. Once he had drained the shooter he sat it down next to his other glass on the end table next to the couch.

"Okay, new round!" Alice announced. "Edward, it's your turn."

Edward sat in silence for a moment with a thoughtful expression. I put my hand on his thigh under the blanket and played with the fabric of his jeans.

"Never have I ever…" He paused and had to fight back laughter. "…fucked one of my mom's friends"

When he spoke it was hard to understand him because he was laughing so hard.

"Yeah, real funny, fuck you dude." Emmett said as he laughed and put a finger down. It was obvious that he was also joking around and there were no actual hard feelings.

"That's disgusting…" Rosalie mumbled.

"You're turn, Rose!" Alice chirped from Jasper's lap.

"Never have I ever had an STD."

Everyone looked around curiously to see if anyone would put a finger down but fortunately nobody did.

"My turn!" Alice squealed. "Never have I ever been to a strip club."

All of the guys plus Rosalie put a finger down.

I was starting to realize that I had a pretty good advantage in this game. Since I was the youngest, I had quite a bit less life experience. Therefore, the chances of me getting out before anyone else were pretty slim.

"Your turn, Jazzy!"

"Never have I ever done any type of drug other than weed."

Edward, Rosalie, and Emmett all put a finger down.

Geez, Edward was getting out almost every time. Apparently he'd done a lot of shit in his life.

Emmett now had all three fingers down so he took his shot of tequila.

"Alright, my turn again." Emmett said as he sat back down. "I've got to get Edward back for his, so…"

I glanced over at Edward who had a smile on his face while he waited to hear Emmett's statement.

"Never have I ever knocked somebody up."

Edward laughed softly and put a finger down.

Then it was my turn. I decided that I wanted to get Edward out. I wanted to see what he was like drunk.

"Never have I ever been a sexy surgeon."

I looked at Edward as I spoke and everyone laughed when I pushed his finger down for him.

"Your turn" I said with a smile.

"Never have I ever made out with a sexy surgeon."

He pushed my finger down for me just as I had for him and I rolled my eyes playfully.

"Alright, we need to get these guys out." Rosalie said with a devious smile.

"Never have I ever eaten pussy."

All of the guys put a finger down and then Edward was out. I passed Emmett his shot glass and he passed it back, full of Patron again. He took his shot and then put the glass down and smiled at me.

"I disagree with you, Rosalie…I think we need to get you girls out." Jasper said, smirking at Alice. "Never have I ever been the _receiver_ of someone eating pussy." He finished.

Rosalie and Alice both immediately snapped their eyes to me. They both knew all about my sexual history so their instinctive reaction had been expected.

I felt my face flame up and a lump in my throat.

It seemed like slow motion as I watched Rosalie and Alice both put one finger down. I could feel everyone's eyes on me, watching me expectantly, but all three of my fingers stayed in place.

"No fucking way…" Emmett said, grinning ear to ear with amusement.

"Emmett." Edward said sternly, like a mother reprimanding their child.

I looked down and tried to avoid everyone's eyes. How embarrassing. I obviously had no problem with filling Edward in on my sexual past but not like this. I would have preferred to tell him myself when it came up on its own.

My cheeks were flaming and my heart was racing.

"Hey…" Edward whispered in my ear as he brushed some hair out of the way. "Don't be embarrassed, it's not a big deal."

"Dude, don't tell me that jailbait is a fucking _virgin_…" Emmett said, laughing.

"Emmett, what the fuck man?" Edward said, obviously irritated.

"How about you mind your own fucking business" Rosalie snapped at Emmett.

I didn't want to listen to everyone bickering and I certainly didn't want to play this game anymore.

"I'm gonna go to the bathroom real quick." I said, turning to Edward.

He gave me an apologetic look but I jumped up and was already on my way down the hall before he could say anything.

I took a deep breath as soon as I had the bathroom door shut behind me.

Would Edward think that I was some sort of prude now? Because that seriously was not the case.

I would just have to wait until I was alone with him and then I would explain.

I was annoyed with the fact that I was feeling like I had to explain myself at all. That game was a bad idea. This is not the way that I wanted to learn about his sexual past or for him to learn about mine. I guess now was as good a time as any, though. And at least this was a good ice breaker. Maybe this would save me an awkward conversation later.

I used the toilet quickly and then checked over my reflection before leaving.

Apparently I wouldn't have to wait long to get Edward alone. When I left the bathroom and returned to the living room, he was sitting on the couch alone. I assumed he was waiting for me. Everyone else was gone.

"Where did everybody go?" I asked, fumbling with my hands awkwardly.

"They went to go change and head out back. The pool should be heated up by now."

"Oh. So why didn't you go with them then?"

That was a stupid question. I already knew the answer.

"I wanted to talk to you first."

"Okay." I said as I went and sat down next to him.

"I'm sorry that Emmett embarrassed you like that."

"It's okay." I said with a shrug.

"You really shouldn't be embarrassed, though. It's better to be less experienced in some areas than to be considered promiscuous."

"Yeah, I know. I'm not embarrassed about my lack of experience; it was just awkward to have it put out in front of everyone like that."

We were silent for a long time. I could feel his eyes on me but I kept mine glued to the floor.

"You really haven't ever had a guy go down on you before?"

"No." I said quietly, shaking my head. "But it's not because I'm prude or anything, it just hasn't happened."

"So…are you…" His sentence trailed off and he dropped his voice to a whisper as if he was telling me a secret. "Are you a virgin?"

"No." I answered quickly. "I'm not a virgin."

"So you're not a virgin but you haven't done oral?"

I sighed and finally looked up at him, turning my body to face him.

"I know that it seems a little backwards but here's the thing…I had one serious boyfriend in high school. His name was Jake. We broke up right before I came here for school and we started dating when I was fifteen. So, if you do the math, that doesn't really leave a lot of time for many sexual partners besides him. I lost my virginity to him but he always said that the idea of going down on a girl grossed him out a little. It wasn't a big deal to me so I didn't ever complain. He always said that it was something he might want to try eventually but we were only sexually active for the last two months of our relationship so we just never got around to it. To be honest, I'm kind of glad that I didn't experience that with him. Sex was never that great with us so I doubt he would have been very good in that department either."

Edward stayed quiet for a moment, looking like he was absorbing everything I had just told him.

"So…this Jake guy…he's the only person you've had sex with?"

"No. There was this guy Mike that I dated for a couple months right after I moved here and a slept with him twice. He was a nice guy but I just didn't see it going anywhere so I broke that off before either of us got attached."

"And he had no interest in going down on you either?"

"No, he did. He asked more than once actually. I guess there were a couple reasons I didn't want to do that with him. First of all, Jake's hesitation made me really self conscious of ever doing it with anyone. Ever since he mentioned that it grossed him out I was always paranoid that every guy secretly felt that way and wouldn't enjoy doing it. Secondly, Mike was even worse at sex than Jake was and I didn't want my first experience with that to be a bad one and scar me forever. Lastly, I felt no connection to Mike. So I didn't want to share something like that with him especially for my first time."

"That makes sense." Edward said as he nodded. "But I have another question."

"Okay."

"You said that they were both pretty bad at sex. What made you think that? Did they do something that you didn't like? I mean, a guy's gotta be pretty shitty in bed for a virgin to realize he's lacking in skill."

I sighed and shrugged, hesitant to explain the answer to that.

"I mean, I know that I probably am not that great since I don't have a lot of experience…but neither of them…"

I paused and bit my lip.

"Neither of them what?" He urged.

"Neither of them made me come." I said quickly, thinking it was best to just spit it out.

His eyes widened and he reached over to the end table to pick of his glass. He drained his glass of Jack and coke in two gulps and turned back to me.

"Are you seriously telling me that you've never had an orgasm before?"

I shook my head slowly, not sure if I should feel embarrassed or not. He sat there staring into space with an unreadable look on his face.

"I mean, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it's not them…it could be me…"

He didn't answer me, he just kept sitting there. Now he looked thoughtful.

His silence was driving me crazy. I desperately wanted to know what he was thinking. Was my lack of experience making him requestion our age difference?

"Edward, what are you thinking?" I asked desperately

He turned and finally looked at me, this time with a new gleam in his eye.

"I want to go down on you tonight. I want to show you just how good you can feel."

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**I did better about updating this story more quickly this time! props to me?**

**From here on out the plot is gonna really start to pick up. **

**This chapter was originally going to include the entire night spent at Edward's house, but it was getting pretty long so I decided to post it in 2 parts. Next chapter will be the second part to the night at Edward's house and then the chapter after that will be thanksgiving. After thanksgiving get ready for some serious drama to start!**

**Thank you to all of the people who wished me well with my pregnancy. To those who asked I'm having a boy :) thankfully, my blood pressure has gone down some so there is really nothing to worry about now.**

**I WANT TO HEAR WHAT YALL THINK! This story gets like seven times more alert adds than it does reviews, and it's really annoying :/**

**So give me some feedback people! And some IDEAS!**

**Thanks :)**

**Jenna**

**P.S – IF YOU HAVE NOT BEEN READYING MY OTHER STORY (**_**Not Just An Act Anymore)**_** YOU SHOULD BE! IT'S GOOD… :) AND IT WAS ALSO UPDATED TODAY! **


	10. New Experiences Part 2

**I said it at the beginning of this story, but I'll say it again for shit's and giggles…**

**I don't own the characters…blah blah blah…**

**.**

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_His silence was driving me crazy. I desperately wanted to know what he was thinking. Was my lack of experience making him requestion our age difference?_

_"Edward, what are you thinking?" I asked desperately_

_He turned and finally looked at me, this time with a new gleam in his eye._

_"I want to go down on you tonight. I want to show you just how good you can feel."_

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**BPOV**

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I'm not sure how long we sat there in silence, but I couldn't seem to find words. Was he serious? What in the world was I supposed to say that? And what were his motives? Did he want to do it because he wanted to take our relationship further or because he wanted to teach me about sex or something?

Because I definitely did not need a fucking teacher.

I didn't want Edward to look at me as some inexperienced child that could be his protégée in the bedroom.

As I stared at him he stared right back at me, patiently awaiting my answer.

"Excuse me?" I finally said. I hadn't planned any response, that's just what came out.

"What? Did I offend you by saying that?"

I thought about that for a moment. Was I offended? No, not offended…just surprised.

"No, you didn't offend me. That's just not what I was expecting you to say after I told you all of that."

"I know I probably caught you off guard, but I would love to be the first person to do that for you. And I know to some people it may seem like we're moving a little fast but, Bella…"

He paused and shifted a little more towards me. He ran his hand through his hair and looked like he was concentrating on a thought.

"Maybe we should take a step back for a moment and evaluate whether or not we're even on the same page here." He started. "Bella, I feel a very strong attraction to you in more than just a physical way. It's surprised me more than anyone, believe me. Before you came along I'd never been out with the same woman more than three times since Chelsea's mother. And even so, my dating experiences have still been limited to only a few people. I had to force myself to even try to be optimistic about finding a connection with one of them."

He paused for another beat and glanced down. When he looked up again his eyes smoldered into mine.

"But with you," he continued. "I don't even have to try. The happiness just comes naturally. It's like I can't stop smiling when I'm with you and right when I think I've got you all figured out, you do something cute again that that just makes me want you that much more."

I nodded and scooted closer to him, putting my hand on his leg.

"I feel the same way about you. It's like…" I paused a moment, trying to decide how to word my feelings. "There's not one thing I know about you so far that I don't like and everything new I find out makes like you even more. And I've never felt so comfortable with someone."

He nodded and placed his hand over mine, playing with my fingers.

"I know what you mean. Being with you feels so natural to me."

"But…" I started to say hesitantly.

I paused and looked down to watch him continue to play with my fingers, trying to sort everything out in my mind.

"But what?" He asked in a whisper.

"You're not just saying all of this because you want me to let you go down on me, right?"

He laughed and put his drink down before pulling me onto his lap.

"Why are you so adorable?"

I smiled weakly and rested my head on his shoulder.

"I'm serious. I don't want you to say all of this unless you really mean it."

"I do really mean it. I'm not saying this because I want to go down on you…I'm not even thinking about that right now. I'm saying this because I really have developed strong feelings towards you. We've been seeing each other for a couple months now and I think I've gathered a pretty good understanding of the person you are…and I like that person a lot. If I didn't think this was going somewhere I wouldn't have introduced you to my daughter."

I nodded with a smile and toyed with the fabric of his shirt at his chest.

"So you think this is going somewhere then?"

"No, I think this already went somewhere."

I lifted my head from his shoulder to look at him.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I think we should make this official…be exclusive. I certainly haven't been seeing anyone else and I have absolutely no interest in doing so. Tomorrow, when I introduce you to my mom, I want to be able to introduce you as my girlfriend. Not just some girl that I've been seeing casually."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. I want you and everyone else in my life to understand how serious I am about you. But if we are going to do this, I do want to reiterate what I told you when we first started seeing each other. I'm not looking for something casual or just a fling."

I nodded in understanding.

"I know, I understand. I realize that you have a child and an established life. I know you're not the usual type of guy that I'm used to. Most of the guys I'm usually around are just starting to experience life and figure out what they want to do. You've already got all of that locked down."

"But are you ready for something serious, though? Are you ready for an actual commitment? That would be my only concern…"

"For you, I'm ready. I know that I'm not as experienced in life and I'm still figuring things out but I can't just walk away from something that I feel strongly about because I'm young. I feel like I could have something really special with you and I'm not going to pass that up just because of minor concerns like that."

He nodded and cupped my cheek with his hand.

"Good, because I don't want you to walk away from this either. I care about you a lot and I know we could have something amazing. The rest of it we'll figure out together."

"Together." I repeated with a smile.

He lifted his other hand to my other cheek and pulled my face to his to kiss me once softly.

"I suppose we should stop being anti-social and go join the others outside." He said after pulling away.

I sighed and stood up off of his lap.

"I suppose we should."

"You brought a bathing suit right?"

"Yup"

"Then you can change in the guest bathroom and I'll go change in my bedroom."

"Okay"

I turned to walk away and go get my bag but he grabbed my wrist gently to stop me before I could take a step. I turned my head back to him and looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to speak.

"My earlier offer still stands by the way. I really would love to be the first one."

I stood there looking at him, not really sure what to say, but he didn't wait for an answer. Before I could even think about how I wanted to respond to that, he had released my wrist and was already on his way down the hall to his room.

I shook my head, trying to clear it of anxiety filled thoughts, as I walked off towards the kitchen where I'd left my bag. I retrieved my bathing suit from it and then headed back towards the living, stopping in the downstairs guest bathroom to change. I owned tons of bikinis but I picked the one that I knew looked best on me. It was bright red with a halter cut top and rather skimpy bottoms.

I bent over, flipped my hair back, and fluffed it to revive some volume into it. After situating my boobs properly in my top, I left the bathroom and made my way back into the living room.

Edward was already sitting on the couch waiting for me.

I smiled internally as I watched his eyes widen just slightly at first sight of me. His eyes raked over my body once before landing on my eyes. He swallowed hard before standing up.

"You look…incredible." He said as he stood up.

I was about to respond when something caught my attention and distracted me. On Edward's right side, right over his ribs, was a small tattoo. It looked like a bunch of numbers but I couldn't exactly make it out from where I was standing. I walked over to him and ghosted my fingertips across the black ink. I could now make out what the numbers were, 071106, but I didn't know what they meant.

"What's this?" I asked.

He looked down at where my hand was touching as if he was trying to figure out what I was talking about.

"Oh…seven eleven oh six…it's Chelsea's birthday."

I smiled as soon as he told me what it was.

"That's sweet…"

I thought it was adorable that he had a tattoo of her birthday. Actually, I found adorable how much he loved her in general. The tattoo was just another example of that.

"Any ink on you?" He asked, his eyes searching my body.

"Nope, I'm tattoo free. Is this your only one?" I asked, touching the black ink again.

"Yup, the one and only"

"I like it." I said with an approving nod.

Once I got over the surprise of the tattoo, I was able to fully appreciate the sight of a shirtless Edward in front of me. His muscles were smooth and perfectly defined. His black bathing suit hung low on his hips and gave me a perfect view of the V shape that pointed down between them.

He picked two towels up off of the couch and handed me one, pulling me out of my trance of admiring his body.

"Here" He said as he gave it to me.

"Thanks."

I turned and walked back down the hall towards the back door. After a few steps I heard him groan behind me.

"What?" I called over my shoulder, not bothering to turn around look back at him.

Suddenly his hand was on my ass, squeezing my cheek.

"Your ass looks fabulous in that bikini…"

His hand then moved to the other cheek and gave it a light squeeze as well. Leave it to my ass man not to favor one side over the other.

"Who am I kidding; your ass looks fabulous all the time."

As we emerged outside, all four of our friends turned to look at us. Rosalie, Alice, and Jasper were all in the hot tub. Emmett was in the pool but was leaning over the wall that separated it from the hot tub with his arms resting on the cement divider.

As soon as the cool breeze of outside hit me my nipples hardened. I crossed my arms over my chest to hide it.

"Exiled from the hot tub, Em?" Edward asked.

"I was getting way too hot in there, I needed to cool down."

As soon as he mentioned hot I dashed towards the hot tub. I was cold and I was anxious to get into the heated water. I put my towel down on the ground and then stepped in. Goose bumps broke out all over my body in reaction to the intense temperature change.

"I'm gonna go grab a beer, babe. Do you want anything?" Edward called to me.

"Yeah just get me a beer." I answered.

"Kay"

I looked over my shoulder just in time to watch the door click behind him as he walked back inside.

"Nice." Emmett said approvingly. I turned to look at him. "I like a girl that can throw back a beer." He finished.

I gave him a weak smile.

"Don't you have something to say to Bella?" Rosalie said to him in an icy voice with an icy look to match. "Did your incompetent brain already forget my 'your balls will never function properly again' speech?"

I had to smile at Rosalie's abrasiveness. Emmett should watch himself. Rosalie was one person's bad side you did _not_ want to get on. She could be a real bitch but she was nothing if not a loyal friend. And that's why I didn't reprehend her behavior…because it was purely out of loyalty and protectiveness over me. Emmett had been a bit of an asshole to me earlier and to be honest he kind of deserved it.

Emmett looked at Rosalie for a moment and then turned to me sheepishly.

"Yeah, uh…sorry about the way I acted in there earlier."

He turned towards Rosalie again looking like he was seeking approval and she raised her eyebrows at him. I laughed quietly to myself as Emmett turned to look at me again with a sigh.

"…and I fully admit that I'm an insensitive perverted pig."

My laughter was less quiet this time. I had no doubt that he was quoting Rosalie on that last part.

"What's funny?" Edward asked as he lowered himself into the hot tub beside me. I hadn't even heard him come back outside.

"Nothing," I said through my giggles. "Emmett was just apologizing to me for his behavior earlier." I finished, trying to stop laughing.

"Oh, good" Edward said.

"Your apology is accepted, by the way." I said to Emmet. "Thank you."

Emmett smiled at me and then Rosalie rolled her eyes.

"You know, you're lucky that Bella is such a sweetheart that she's willing to forgive you so easily." Rosalie said to him with the same icy voice she had used earlier. "Enjoy it know. I guarantee other girls you come across in life won't be so gracious."

Emmett looked at her with wide eyes and although I tried to discern the expression on his face, I had no luck.

"Very lucky indeed" Edward said, agreeing with Rosalie.

"I have to pee." Rosalie announced.

She stood up, grabbed her towel, and patted herself dry before marching off towards the house.

"Oh my fucking _God_…" Emmett said as soon as the back door had closed behind her.

"What?" Jasper asked, speaking for the first time since I'd come outside. He and Alice had been totally consumed with each other, whispering and giggling on their own side of the hot tub.

"That girl is so fucking sexy."

Everyone was dead silent as we all stared at him in shock.

"_Rosalie?_" I asked, feeling the need to confirm who it was he was talking about.

"Yes." He answered simply.

"Are you insane?" Alice asked.

"Seriously, man" Jasper started. "That chick has been nothing but a cold bitch to you ever since you got here."

"I know, and I can't get enough of it. Every time she snaps at me like that I just want to throw her up against the wall and –"

"OKAY!" I yelled, cutting him off. "No offence, but I really don't need to hear about your creepy fantasies with my best friend."

"I need another drink." He said suddenly, hopping out of the pool.

He went over to one of the lounge chairs, picked up a towel, and started drying himself off. Once he was inside and behind a closed door, we all burst out laughing.

"Wow" Alice said through her giggles.

"Seriously" I agreed. "That guy has got some female dominance issues or something."

"I know, right" She said, still laughing. "I guess he likes his girls tough."

"Well he _did_ say he likes a girl who can throw back a beer."

"Speaking of which," Edward said. "Here's your beer."

He popped open my can for me and handed it over.

"Thank you."

He popped his open after mine and we both took two long gulps.

"It's getting really hot in her, Jazz, let's get in the pool." Alice said after a few moments. Her face was indeed flushed.

"Oh, my bad…heat just seems to radiate off of me." Jasper said with a smirk. Alice rolled her eyes in response and stood up.

"Dude that was the lamest joke you've ever made…" Edward said, laughing.

Jasper and Alice, also laughing, stepped out of the hot tub and dove into the pool. I turned to Edward and slid onto his lap, straddling him, and locked my free arm around his neck.

"I think _you're_ then one making it hot in here." I whispered before taking another sip of my beer.

"It's a strong possibility." He said with a smile before following suit and sipping on his beer as well.

He then put his beer down on the cement ledge next to us and moved his hands to my thighs.

"You really do look sexy in that bikini."

"I know. That's why I wore it."

He smirked and started moving his hands both and forth, rubbing my thighs and effectively turning me on.

"I'm really excited for you to meet my mom tomorrow."

I felt myself frown a little bit at the mention of the reason for my anxiety.

"I hope she likes me."

"She will."

"How do you know?"

"Because there's nothing about you to not like"

I smiled and leaned forward to touch my lips to his while I sat my beer down next to his. Maybe he was just being a smooth talker, but it did a good job and pushing my worry to the back of my mind so I didn't mind.

My intention was just to kiss him quickly and softly but apparently he had other ideas. His tongue was quickly pushing its way into my mouth and I was in no position to deny it entry. I was in no position to deny this man anything. He hadn't even gotten me naked yet and he was already making my body feel all sorts of new things.

I was quickly learning small things about Edward that I was starting to realize I could use to gain the advantage in situations like this. For example, every time I sucked on his lower lip while we made out, he would make a desperate groaning/whimpering sound.

Our wet bathing suits clung to our bodies in a way that left little to the imagination. I could feel his distinct bulge underneath me, growing harder and harder as our kisses grew more and more passionate. I may not have a lot of sexual experience under my belt, no pun intended, but even I could tell he was _big._ He rolled his hips into mine and I moaned at the sensation, aching to feel more of him.

"Edward…" I moaned desperately.

Apparently he misunderstood my desperation for warning because he moved his hands from my thighs to my hips and started to shift me off of him.

"Sorry…" He whispered as he pulled away from me.

"For what?" I asked, locking my arms around his neck and keeping myself exactly where I was despite his efforts.

"Uh…I don't know, I just thought maybe my raging boner was making you uncomfortable.

"No…" I rocked my hips against his and his eyes fluttered closed as he sighed. "I like it."

"Yeah?"

"Mhmm…"

I leaned in to kiss his neck but then I remember that Alice and Jasper were also out here. How embarrassing. I turned my head to the pool to make sure they weren't listening to us but I was surprised to find that they were nowhere in sight.

"Where are Alice and Jasper?" I asked as I turned back towards Edward.

His eyes fluttered open again and he looked out over the pool.

"I don't know…I guess they went inside."

"I didn't hear the door."

"Me neither, but we were a little preoccupied."

"And now that I think about it, where are Emmett and Rosalie?"

He glanced at the back door and then looked back at me, smiling.

"Maybe he got lucky with Rosalie after all."

"I doubt it. You saw the way she was talking to him."

He shrugged and looked down to play with a strand of my hair. Since I had just been sitting in the hot tub, only the ends we were wet.

"It doesn't matter…" He whispered as he leaned forward. "We're alone." He finished before attaching his lips to my neck.

I looked at the back door one more time and then decided that he was right. We were alone. I didn't give a fuck where Alice, Jasper, Emmett, or Rosalie was.

I closed my eyes, locked my fingers in his hair, and enjoyed him kissing and sucking on my neck. My nipples hardened and this time it had nothing to do with being cold. It amazed me how much just his lips on my neck could turn me on.

I was totally lost in the moment until I felt his hands glide up my back and start to untie the string at my neck that held my top up. I moved my hands from his hair to pull on his arms.

"Edward no…what if they come outside?"

He pulled away from my neck to look at me.

"Relax. I doubt they're gonna come back out here but if they do I'm in front of you. They won't see anything."

He raised his eyebrows at my silence and I nodded.

His hands moved back up to my neck and started to untie the string again. When he was done the front of my top fell down and my breasts bounced free.

His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at my naked chest for the first time and I wished I knew what he was thinking. I did find a little bit of reassurance though when I felt him grow harder underneath me.

"Well, well, well…" He mused.

"What?" I asked, feeling a blush rise to my cheeks.

"I've spent too much time on my fixation with your ass…your breasts are fabulous too…"

"Well then maybe you should get better acquainted with them, then."

I took his hands and lifted them to cup my breasts which he then squeezed gently, making me moan.

While he massaged my breasts I absentmindedly started rocking my hips against his again. Just feeling him hard underneath me was an intense pleasure. I was amazed by how attuned I was to the way he touched me. I'd never felt this kind of physical chemistry with Jake or Mike.

After a few minutes his hands left my breasts and his fingertips started to trail down my sides, making me shiver. His hands continued descending until they were at my hips, stilling my rocking movements. I was about to protest but then his hand slid down between us and started rubbing me over my bikini bottoms, right where I ached to feel him the most.

I moaned loudly and dropped my head to rest on his shoulder.

He continued to rub me and I started to feel like electricity was flowing through my body. Every inch of my skin was insanely sensitive to his touch, and I wanted more.

Unfortunately, I didn't get more…at least not yet.

He stilled the movement of his hand right as I was starting to get into it and I whimpered at the loss.

"Why are you stopping?"

He chuckled softly and lifted his hand to brush some hair out of my face.

"Because I'm not going to make you come for the first time in my hot tub."

"Then let's go inside." I said quickly.

He looked at me for a long moment with narrowed eyes that searched mine.

"Are you sure?"

I raised my eyebrows at him.

"You're the one who asked me to let you get me off and then I agree and _now_ you're getting hesitant?"

"I'm not hesitant. I just want to make sure you're not hesitant. I want you to be sure you want this."

"Oh I want this, trust me."

"Do _you_ want this, or does your _body_ want this?"

I paused and made a face as if I was actually pondering the question.

"Both, I think."

"Mm…well in that case, you should probably put these away until we're in the private confines of my bedroom." He said, giving my breasts another squeeze.

"But let me just make something clear…I'm not saying that I'm going to let you go down on me…I think we should just go to your room and get a little more comfortable and then whatever happens, happens.

"Whatever you want"

I retied the string of my top behind my neck and then climbed off of his lap and got out of the hot tub. He got out behind me and then we both dried ourselves off.

We walked back into the house and found Alice and Jasper, changed into sleep clothes, snacking on chips in the kitchen.

"Dude," Jasper started, breaking into laughter as soon as he saw us. "Emmett and Rosalie are upstairs fucking right now."

"_No!_" I gasped, shocked.

"Yup. Alice and I went upstairs to shower and when we walked by the other guest room we heard _distinct_ moaning and grunting."

"It was disturbing." Alice added.

"Wow…who'd have thought…" I whispered in amazement.

What a weird situation. Rosalie was such a bitch to him and she was totally breaking her one night stand rule.

"Well," Edward started.

I looked over to see he was holding his towel in front of his crotch. I wondered if he was still sporting that impressive boner.

"I think Bella and I are gonna turn in for the night. We'll see you guys in the morning."

"Alright" Jasper said with an understanding smirk.

Alice smiled at me as Edward took my hand.

"Night, guys."

"Night, Jailbait" Jasper answered.

"Night, Bells. Night, Edward. Thanks for letting us all stay here." Alice said.

"Not a problem. Sleep well."Edward answered her.

I grabbed my bag off the table and with that, Edward whisked me off towards his bedroom.

I was impressed with the room. It had a _huge_ plush looking wrought iron bed with burgundy bedding. All of the furniture was antique looking wood with wrought iron accents that matched the bed. On the far end of the room were huge long paneled windows. The shades were pulled but I knew that they over looked the pool.

"Your room is incredible…"

"Thanks, but I really shouldn't take credit. My mom and her interior designer friend picked everything out."

Now that we were here in Edward's room I was starting to get nervous. We both knew what we'd come in here for but I was still uneasy. What if I taste bad? Or what if I get so wet it's embarrassing? Or what if a have an ugly vagina?

I was starting to feel glad that I didn't commit to anything oral.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

He shrugged.

"You just had a weird look on your face."

He went into a dresser drawer and pulled out some boxers, a pair of pajama pants, and an undershirt. He then came over to me and extended his hand out, giving me the shirt.

"Here, put this on. I'm sure you want to get out of that wet bikini."

I was impressed but glad that he was giving me a shirt to put on. It wasn't much but it was dry and it would cover me. I was thankful he didn't seem to plan on just going at it right off the bat.

"Thanks." I said as I took the shirt.

"I'm gonna go change into these." He said, holding up the boxers and pants.

"Okay."

He went into the bathroom and then I stripped down and pulled his shirt on. It smelled phenomenal. I made a mental note to ask him later what kind of fabric softener he uses. I grabbed some clean panties out of my bag that I had thankfully thrown in before leaving my apartment and slid them on. I pulled my hair up into a ponytail and tied it with the elastic band I had on my wrist from earlier that day and then I went to sit on his bed, making sure to keep my legs closed and not give him a _complete_ peep show.

Edward came out a moment later and took my wet bathing suit from me and then went to hang it up with his own in the bathroom to dry.

"Do you want to put on a movie or something?" He asked as he emerged again and gestured to the plasma T.V. that he had mounted to the wall across from his bed.

"A movie? I thought we came in here with a purpose…"

He laughed and came to sit next to me on the bed.

"What happened to your 'whatever happens, happens' attitude?"

I shrugged and turned to face him.

"I know that I want to get pretty friendly with you in this bed, I'm just not sure that I want to do oral tonight."

He laughed and nodded.

"Alright, well we'll see what you say about it once you get all worked up."

"You seem pretty confident that you're gonna be able to get me all worked up."

He smirked, stood up, and pulled back the covers.

"Well hop into bed and I'll show you why."

I stood up and then slid under the sheets and snuggled in.

"Oh my _God…_this is the most comfortable bed ever."

He laughed softly and slid into bed next to me.

"It's more comfortable over here." He said, pulling me over to him.

"Are you gonna use that line every time you want me to cuddle with you?"

"Maybe. We'll just have to see what happens I guess."

He wrapped his strong arm around my waist and pulled me closer until my body was flush against his.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and tangled my legs with his.

"You're cold…" He commented as he rubbed the back of my thigh.

"Warm me up then." I whispered.

I swung my leg up over his hip and he pulled me tighter against him, creating a wonderful friction _right there_. His lips found mine and in no time at all out tongues were circling each other. We were moaning into each other's mouths and our hands were exploring all over each other's bodies. Before long, we were dry humping each other like two hormone crazed horny fifteen year olds.

"Edward…" I moaned as I pulled away for air.

I guess he didn't feel the need to gasp for air like I did because as soon as our lips were parted his latched on to my neck right above my collar bone. While he sucked and grazed his teeth across my skin, his hands reached up under the shirt I was wearing and caressed my stomach and sides.

As his hands moved higher, pushing the shirt up, I instinctively lifted my arms for him to take it off. As soon as he had it off and thrown on the floor, he rolled over so I was on my back and he was hovering over me. I thought he was leaning down to kiss me but then suddenly his head dipped down and his lips wrapped around my hard nipple. I moaned a little too loudly.

"Edward?" I whispered breathlessly.

"Hmm?" He hummed while he sucked. The vibration of it sent an electric current through my veins.

"Can you turn the T.V. on just for the noise? I don't want Alice and Jasper to hear us."

"Yeah…"

He got up on his knees and reached over to grab a remote off of the bedside table. My eyes followed in the direction he pointed it and I saw that rather than controlling the T.V., it controlled a sound dock that his iPod was plugged in to. He flicked it on and then put the remote back down and returned his mouth to my nipple.

"Blink 182?" I asked as a song began to flood through the speakers. I recognized it immediately as one of their most famous songs, _All the Small Things_. I didn't have a problem with it but it didn't seem like the typical choice for bedroom music.

He shrugged and then pulled his lips away briefly to answer me.

"I put it on shuffle. Why? Would you prefer I change it to Marvin Gaye or something?"

As he went back to sucking my nipple my back involuntarily arched towards him and my fingers grabbed at his hair.

While my body had an instinctive reaction to him, my mind was racing. Typical nervous Bella…my mind was trying desperately to grasp onto any coherent thought other than the situation that I was in right now. It was my subconscious way of avoiding anxiety.

The rock music really wasn't helping. It was making me jitterier.

"This is an old song." I stated dumbly.

I was reminding myself of Lindsay Lohan's character in _Mean Girls._ I knew now wasn't the time for small talk but it was coming up like word vomit. It only made it worse that as I spoke it was only becoming more obvious how uneven and shaky my breathing was.

Edward moved down from my nipple to kiss down my breast and my rib, answering me as he did so.

"Almost everything –" kiss. "In my iPod –" kiss. "Is from the nineties –" kiss.

I arched my back more towards him as his kisses became more open mouthed against my skin.

"Why?" I asked.

As if I should care at a time like this. To be honest, I didn't. Not really. I was just searching for a distraction from my nerves.

"Because newer music –" kiss. "Is shitty –" kiss. "This song –" kiss. "For example –" kiss. "Came out –" kiss. "When I was nineteen" kiss. "When music –" kiss. "Was at its prime –"

By this time his lips were right to the side of my belly button and butterflies were fluttering around in my stomach like crazy. Why did I have such a strong reaction to Edward?

One thing about what he said did stick out to me. He was nineteen when this song came out…one year older than I am now. That was crazy to me. I had a distinct memory of being seven years old and watching my neighbor's older brother's band play this song in their garage. I was seven and Edward has already started college. That thought made our gap in age seem wider than ever.

It didn't bother me. It was just a thought that stuck out in my mind.

"This song is good but it's definitely not one of their better ones."

Awesome, more word vomit.

Edward sighed, pulled his mouth away from where it had been sucking on my hip bone, and looked up at me.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." I said casually.

Cool, now I'm a nervous wreck _and_ a compulsive liar.

"Then would you like to explain to me why you're so chatty all of the sudden?"

I sighed and ran both of my hands through my hair awkwardly.

"I'm sorry. I probably should have warned you that I ramble excessively when I'm really nervous."

"So I make you really nervous then?"

"No." I said, my compulsive liar self shining through again.

He laughed softly and moved his head a little to the right to kiss the flat plane of skin between my hips.

"Just relax, baby girl. I won't even take your panties off unless you ask me to."

I nodded, closed my eyes, and let my head sink back into his fluffy pillow while his mouth started up with the open mouthed kisses again. I took a deep breath and tried to do as he said, relax.

It helped when the song changed. Next on the shuffle list was an acoustic version of _Kryptonite_ by 3 Doors Down. Instead of the loud and aggressive beat of the previous song, this guitar riffs on this one were quieter and calmer, particularly since it was acoustic.

The feeling of Edward's lips kissing my skin evoked a very strange mixture of emotion in me. It was the cause of my nervousness and apprehension but at the same time it was soothing and comforting. It's like the cure to my worry was also the cause.

As his lips kissed and trail across my skin that met the waistline of my panties, I decided maybe focusing on the words of the song would be a good distraction.

"_I took a walk around the world to ease my troubled mind."_

"_I left my body laying somewhere in the sands of time."_

"_I watched the world float to the dark side of the moon."_

"_I feel there's nothing I can do, yeah."_

I whimpered in surprise when I felt the tip of Edward's tongue snake out and trace over the line of skin he had just kissed.

To be honest all I wanted to do was shove Edward's face down between my thighs, lock my legs around his head, and hold him there prisoner until he licked me dry. But I was still nervous about tasting bad or being too wet or having some kind of deformity down there.

I jumped a little in surprise when I felt where he kissed me next. It was over my panties, but his lips were right over my clit. My body tensed up a little bit at first but I relaxed when I opened my eyes and looked down to see that he seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself.

I guess he could feel my eyes on him because a second later he looked up at me through his lashes. Keeping eye contact, he pushed his tongue flat up against where my clit was and ran it over the fabric of my panties, making me shiver.

"Edward…" I whimpered.

He continued kissing me over my panties and after a few moments I was able to relax again and close my eyes.

This was good. I could handle this.

And then before I could even register what was happening, he had my panties pulled to the side and his mouth latched on _directly_ to my clit.

This was _too_ good. And I could _not_ handle it.

I guess Edward was a compulsive liar too because I distinctly remembered him saying he wouldn't take off my panties unless I asked him to. Well, I suppose _technically_ he hadn't taken them off. He had just pulled them aside.

I was not at all prepared for how intense it would feel or how sensitive I would be. His hot and wet mouth felt amazing on me but it was simply too much. I didn't know it was possible to feel too good, but it did. I was in serious danger of sensory overload.

My body's natural reaction was for my hips to twitch away from his mouth, but he was having none of that. He hooked his arms under my thighs and held my hips with his hands, holding me down so that the only movement I could make was to squirm around without any hope of actually moving anything from the waist down.

But man did I squirm.

"Edward," I whimpered desperately. "I can't…it's too much…"

Don't get me wrong, it felt good, but I was just too sensitive. I wanted more but my body didn't know how to handle what he was doing to me.

At first he ignored my protest but after a moment he pulled away from me and looked up, looking exasperated.

"Baby, you've got to relax for it to feel good. It may take a while for you to finish since this is your first time, but just close your eyes and enjoy it okay?"

I nodded and closed my eyes. After a few moments, it _did_ start to get better. I was still trying to get used to the feeling and calm myself down, but at least my body wasn't trying to involuntarily get away from his face anymore. I thought I was making some pretty good progress so I was a little surprised when he stopped and looked up to speak again.

"I'm serious, Bella. Relax."

I wasn't aware that I had been tensing up my muscles until I made a conscious effort to relax them. Once I did, everything _did_ feel better…just as he had said it would.

In fact, it felt so good that I soon began rocking my hips against his mouth. He moaned in response to that movement and I moaned in response to the vibrating feeling of his moan.

My chest started heaving with my heavy breathing as a new song started playing over the speakers. I noticed the band immediately as Incubus but I couldn't place the name of the song. I picked up my earlier strategy of focusing on the words of the song to keep myself from hyperventilating.

"_Meet me in outer space."_

"_We could spend the night."_

"_I've grown tired of this place."_

"_Won't you come with me?"_

By the time the first verse was over, I was moaning embarrassingly loud and rocking my hips into his mouth with such fervor that that if I was thinking clearly I would have been concerned that I was hurting him.

His mouth was like fucking magic. I don't know what the fuck he was doing down there to be honest, all I knew was that I never wanted him to stop.

"Ugh…Edward…yes…"

He moaned again at my verbal expression of pleasure and the sensation that it caused had me nearly screaming this time. I was positive that Alice and Jasper would be able to hear me, regardless of the music.

"AHH!...Oh my _GOD_!..."

My hips were twitching up now towards his face on their own accord and I could feel that he was having to hold me down with a pretty good amount of force just to keep me still. I wasn't doing it on purpose. I simply couldn't control my body.

I felt my inner muscles start to convulse while something started to build deep in my stomach. And then my toes and fingertips started tingling, feeling numb almost.

What the hell was _happening_ to me?

I could feel that I was on the verge of something big and I was dancing on the ledge, about to fall.

One small action from Edward was all it took to push me over.

He sucked my clit gently between his teeth and moved his head from side to side, pulling my throbbing nub in different directions.

Whatever had been building in my stomach then exploded and my legs started shaking. Heat raced through my veins in waves and my limbs tingled.

"UGH!" I grunted in surprise.

I could hear how loud I was being but none of it was actual words, just incoherent whimpers and guttural moans.

As my very first orgasm rocked through me, courtesy of Edward Cullen, the final chorus of the Incubus song echoed in my ears.

"_How do you do it?"_

"_Make me feel like I do?"_

"_How do you do it?"_

"_It's better than I ever knew…"_

"_How do you do it?"_

"_Make me feel like I do?"_

"_How do you do it?"_

"_Make me feel like I do?"_

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**I felt bad for the cliffy I left yall so I decided I needed to update quickly…and it's the longest chapter to this story so far! WOOHOO!**

**To answer everyone asking if I'd picked a name yet for my little man, no I have not…it's a freakin hard decision!**

**I loved writing this chapter because sooo much of it is written from personal experience. My first experience with the big O was through oral sex so when I wrote that part I seriously reached down deep in my brain and wrote how I remembered it feeling…ahh, memories.**

**There were other little things too but I'm not going to waste your time blabbing about them.**

**For those of you wondering what Jasper's problem is…he's just being protective over Edward. He'll snap out of it eventually but after the Tanya situation he just wants Edward to be extra cautious especially for Chelsea's sake…**

**NEXT CHAPTER IS THANKSGIVING WITH ESME!**

**I think this chappy was pretty effin good so each and every one of you should go review if you want another quick update. Each review is just another smile on my swollen pregnant-chick face :)**


	11. Thanksgiving Part 1

**A/N: I don't anything having to do with Twilight, but I **_**do**_** own little Chelsea.**

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**EPOV**

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I hadn't planned to ask Bella to make things with us official last night, but I was glad that I did. It would be good to introduce her to my mom with the understanding that we are actually in a relationship. I wanted my mother and everyone else to realize that I was serious about her.

It bothered me a little that Jasper was acting so weird about the Bella situation. I knew that he was just trying to look out for my daughter and I, but he should know more than anyone that I was completely on guard after my experience with Tanya. I may have only known Bella for a couple months but I knew good and well that she was nothing like that bitch.

Giving Bella her first orgasm was…indescribable.

I loved that I was the first person she'd ever experienced that with and to be honest, it was a huge turn on to feel like I was taking part of her innocence away.

How fucked up is that?

She looked drop dead sexy and unbelievably adorable writhing around for me on my bed in pleasure. As if the visual aspect of it wasn't enough, the sounds she was making were probably the sexiest thing I'd ever heard in my life. Each whimper and moan she made encouraged me to pleasure her with more and more fervor.

Once she had finished I'd left her with a kiss on the forehead and went to go turn off the lights, the pool heater, and lock the doors for the night. By the time I'd returned to my room, she was already asleep. I turned off the music and all of the lights in the room and then got into bed with her.

I curled up behind her, wrapped my arm around her waist, and buried my face in her hair. It was a strange feeling to have Bella in my arms like that. It had been so long so I'd had a woman in my bed and it was very unfamiliar.

This wasn't just any woman though, this was Bella.

I still couldn't explain the undeniable pull that I felt towards her but it felt good and I didn't need an explanation. It was enough just to feel it.

My daughter brought an unbelievable amount of joy and happiness to my life but Bella brought me a different kind of happiness…the kind that had been missing. Every emotion I felt towards her seemed to be multiplied. I was so attracted to her, so captivated by her personality, and felt so protective over her. I wanted to take care of her and be everything she would ever need.

There was another significant difference I saw in the way I viewed things with Bella. With every other woman I had been with sexually I was always thinking predominantly about my pleasure…always working towards my own release. With Bella it was the opposite. I wasn't even thinking about what she could give me. I was purely concerned with _her _pleasure and only working towards _her_ release.

Although I was tired and completely sated by my evening with Bella, it took me a while to fall asleep. I lay awake for over an hour caressing the soft skin of her stomach, inhaling her perfect scent, and listening to her slow breathing.

I didn't remember shifting positions in the night but when I woke up I was on my back with Bella curled into my side. Her head was on my chest and her arm was draped over my stomach.

Being the father of an over-energized four year old had fucked with my sleeping schedule and since Chelsea never slept past eight o'clock…neither did I. Therefore, I wasn't surprised when I glanced over at the clock and saw that it was seven forty five. It was probably a good thing I was up early, though. I wanted to straighten up the house before my mom came this afternoon.

I was able to slip out of bed without waking Bella, probably thanks to my practice with sneaking out of Chelsea's bed after I read to her at night. I fumbled around in the bathroom quietly while I used the toilet and brushed my teeth. When I was done I slipped out of the room and closed the door quietly behind me.

I was surprised to find Alice and Jasper up and sipping on coffee when I entered the kitchen.

"Hey," I said through a yawn. "You guys are up early."

"Yeah, Alice has to get back to her apartment so she can pack and head home for Thanksgiving."

"Ah" I said with a nod. "Are Emmett and Rosalie up?"

"They already left…Rosalie had to get back too."

"So you think they really did hook up last night?" I asked.

"Oh I know they did." Alice answered. "I ambushed Rosalie about it this morning and even though she wouldn't give me any details…I could tell by the look on her face."

I laughed as I went to go pour a cup of coffee for myself.

"I think Emmett finally met his match in the obnoxious department." Jasper huffed.

"Hey!" Alice squealed, slapping his chest. "I know she's a lot to handle but don't say mean things about her, she's my friend…"

I had to smile at Alice's defensiveness over her friend. It reminded, in a less drastic way, of how protective Rosalie was over Bella. I was glad that she had friends like them, especially Alice. She seemed to have a good head on her shoulders. I was glad that Jasper had her too. They seemed good for each other.

"Speaking of friends," Alice continued. "Where's Bella? I wanted to wish her a happy Thanksgiving before I leave."

"She's still asleep." I explained.

"Did you wear her out?" Jasper said with a smirk as he lifted his coffee cup to his lips.

I tried not to smile but I couldn't help it. I wasn't smiling as much at Jasper's joke as I was just because talking about Bella made me happy and reminded me of the beautiful girl asleep in my bed.

"Awh, he's blushing!" Alice said with a huge grin.

I took a sip of my coffee and smiled but made no comment.

"You about ready to go?" Jasper asked Alice as he rinsed his mug out and put it in the dishwasher.

"Yeah, I'm ready whenever you are." She answered.

"Well let's get going now then. I don't want to make you late to your parents' house.

Jasper to her mug from her and rinsed it and then put it in the dishwasher along with his.

"Thanks for having us over, Edward." Alice said to me as she grabbed her bag. "I had a lot of fun."

"Yeah, me too. Thanks for coming." I said with a polite smile.

"What time do you want me to be back over today?" Jasper asked.

"You can come whenever you want." I said with a shrug. "My mom is coming over with Chelsea around noon."

"Alright well I'll just give you a call when I'm heading over."

"Alright, sounds good."

I walked with them to the front door and we exchanged quick goodbyes. Once I had the door closed behind them I headed upstairs to go strip the sheets in the guest rooms.

On my way back down the hallway after getting the bedding from the rooms that our friends had slept in, I decided to stop and grab Chelsea's as well. I smiled when I opened her door and walked into her pink room. I had missed reading to her and tucking her in last night but I knew that she was having a good time with my mom. She always did.

I carried my load of sheets down to the laundry room and started a load, doing Chelsea's first. After I got that started I went back into the kitchen. I retrieved a trash bag from under the sink and collected all of our garbage from last night that was still lying around.

After taking the trash out, I collected all of the glasses we had used last night and took them into the kitchen. There were also some plates and silverware collected in the sink so I decided to get started on a load of dishes.

As I cleaned, I let my mind wonder.

I'd never been interested in or attracted to a girl the way I was with Bella. She was the first girl since Tanya that I had actually asked to be in a relationship with me and therefore she was the first one that I would be introducing to my mom. And because she was the first, I didn't know what to expect from my mother as far as a reaction goes. I didn't know if she would morph into protective and defensive mode or if she would just be thrilled that I found someone that truly made me happy.

I was hoping for the latter.

My initial concern with getting involved with Bella was how Chelsea would feel about it, but that had proved not to be an issue after all. She had taken to Bella surprisingly well the day we went to the zoo and has even since asked me when Bella is going to come back over to cook for her.

So since the most important girl in my life didn't have a problem with it, my mom would just have to trust me.

"Hi…"

I was expelled from my thoughts when I heard Bella's voice behind me. She sounded different. She sounded timid and…_nervous_ maybe?

I gave her an overjoyed and completely enthusiastic smile while I turned off the water and dried my hands.

She looked breathtakingly gorgeous, especially for having just woken up. She had on her shorts from last night but on top she was wearing the undershirt that I had let her borrow. Her hair was down in cascading waves and she had pulled it all to one side over her shoulder. It was messy but in a sexy way.

As soon as my eyes met hers she blushed. I went straight over to her and wrapped my arms around her waist. She lifted her arms around my neck instinctively and smiled softly. I lifted her feet off the ground and spun her around in a circle before setting her up on the countertop of the kitchen island and simultaneously leaning over to kiss her. She giggled against my lips adorably and slid her hands down to rest on the sides of my neck.

When we pulled apart we both lingered with our foreheads pressed together. I could smell mint as her cool breath washed over my face. I guess she'd already brushed her teeth.

"Well good morning to you too." She said with another giggle.

"Did you sleep alright?" I asked as I smoothed some hair away from her face and lifted my head to kiss her forehead.

The way I regarded Bella was unlike the way I had any other girl in previous relationships. She was my little Goddess and I wanted to worship her in any way I could. She was my baby and I would lavish her with as much affection and attention as she would let me.

"I did." She said with a nod."Your bed is insanely comfortable."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it." I said with a smile.

In fact, I couldn't seem to keep the smile off of my face. I was used to being alone and now that I had Bella, I literally didn't want to let go of her. She was well worth the wait.

"Where is everyone?" She asked as she reached out to trace the muscles of my abdomen with her finger.

"They left already. I guess Alice and Rosalie are both going home today so they needed to get going."

"Oh."

She lifted one of her hands to comb her fingers through my hair and I leaned into her touch.

"When did you get up? I was a little disappointed when I woke up alone…"

I felt my eyebrows pull together after she said that. I hadn't even thought about the fact that I was kind of being an asshole leaving her alone in bed like that. I hadn't considered what she would think when she woke up. I slid my hands up from her waist under her shirt to rest on her bare waist.

"I'm sorry…I wasn't thinking. Chelsea wakes up so early so I'm kind of on her schedule and I never sleep in. I woke up at like a quarter to eight and I just figured I would get up and start cleaning up from last night. I shouldn't have left you alone though, I'm sorry."

"It's okay." She said with a shrug. "I was just wondering. I didn't feel like you ditched me or anything."

"Good, I would never want you to think that."

"What time is your mom coming over?" She asked.

"Around noon"

She nodded and sighed.

"I should get home so I can shower and get ready."

"Okay." I agreed.

I didn't want her to leave my side but it was comforting to know that she would be back soon.

"So you want me to come back around noon?"

"Yeah"

She gave me another quick kiss and then I moved out of the way as she hopped off of the counter.

I walked with Bella back to my room where she gathered all of her stuff and then I walked her out to her car. After she tossed her stuff into the passenger seat she turned to look at me with a smile. She stood with her back to the car and I stood right in front of her with one of my hand resting on the hood of her Mustang, right next to her shoulder.

"Thank you for last night…for everything." She said, taking a step towards me so that her body was pressed up against mine.

"It was my pleasure." I said, returning her smile.

"I beg to differ."

I laughed quietly and leaned forward to kiss her. She quickly pushed her tongue passed my lips and lifted her hand to hold the back of my neck. I dropped both of my hands and wrapped my arms around her waist tightly. We stood their making out heatedly for a few minutes until she pulled away to gasp for air.

"There's something I wanted to talk to you about before you leave." I told her, keeping my arms locked around her waist.

"Hmm?" She leaned forward and rested her head against my chest.

I couldn't resist lowering my head to place a quick kiss on top of her head.

"Tonight, when you're here, I want to tell Chelsea that you and I are a couple."

She pulled back at me with a look of surprise.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Does that bother you?"

"No, I just thought you might want to wait a while."

I shook my head and pulled her head back down against my chest, tucked under my chin.

"No. I want you to be part of my life and she is a huge portion of it so she's included."

"Are you sure that's not something you want to talk to her about alone?"

"I thought about that, but I think she'll grasp the concept better of what I really mean if you're there with me."

She nodded her understanding and pulled back to look at me again.

"It means a lot that you feel confident enough in us to want to tell her about it…thank you."

I smiled and gave her a quick peck with a swat on the ass and then took a step back.

"You should get going so I can get you back over here quickly."

She smiled and got into the driver seat.

"Bye. I'll see you in a few hours." She said with a cute little wave of her fingers.

"I'll be counting down. Bye, baby"

I shut the door for her and stood in the drive way watching until her car turned a corner and disappeared.

If I was certain of anything it was that Bella Swan was something else, and she was capturing my heart more quickly than I ever could have imagined.

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**BPOV**

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By the time I got back to our apartment, Rosalie had already left to go home for thanksgiving. I loved Rose, but I was actually thankful that she wasn't here at the moment. I knew that if she was she would want to talk about last night and make me go over every single detail about what happened with Edward and I behind closed doors. I didn't have a problem with filling her in on my night, but this morning my mind was totally somewhere else. It was on the daunting thought of knowing that in just a few short hours, I would be meeting Edward's mother.

I think the reason I was so anxious about it was just because I didn't know what to expect. From what Edward had told me about her, I sort of gathered the impression that she was really protective over him and his daughter. I was nervous that because of the protectiveness, she would find something to write me off for without even giving me a chance.

But Edward assured me that everything would be fine, and I believed him.

Under the surface of anxiousness and uncertainty, there was also a lot of excitement. I was excited that Edward asked me to officially be his girlfriend and I was thrilled that he was so serious about it that he wanted his daughter to know. At first I was surprised that he didn't want to wait a little while before informing her about our relationship, but when he explained his thoughts about it further it made perfect since to me. We were accommodating ourselves into each other's lives and Chelsea was a huge part of his. If I was going to be involved in his life, that included being involved with her. And I loved that. She was adorable and I was thrilled by the thought of getting to spend more time around her. It was also comforting to know that I wouldn't have to constantly be watching how I spoke to Edward or the way I interacted with him around her. I didn't have to try and pretend that I was just a friend.

Once I'd gotten home I ate a bowl of cereal and then took a long, relaxing shower. As I stood under the hot stream I replayed the events of last night with Edward, keeping my mind away from thoughts of Edward's mom. The way he made me feel was unlike the way any guy had made me feel before…like a princess. It wasn't even about the things he did for me as much as it was just the way he looked at me. There was something in his eyes when he looked into mine that made me feel like I was the only girl in the world.

When I stepped out of the shower, I laughed out loud when I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I was so happy that I'd unconsciously had a small smile plastered to my face. I had a feeling that as long as I had Edward, it wasn't going anywhere.

I patted myself dry and then went to go put on some panties and a bra. I picked a matching black lace set because you never know, right? I knew that nothing would probably happen with Edward since his mother and daughter would both be there, but the last thing I wanted for something to unexpectedly occur and me be caught in granny panties and a ratty old bra.

I went back into the bathroom where I quickly blew my hair dry and moisturized my face. I then went into my closet and embarked on a pretty difficult task of trying to decide what to wear. This was one thing I wished I'd had Rose here for. I'd bought a new gray sweater recently that I hadn't gotten to wear yet and it was super cute so I decided to pick my outfit around that.

Eventually I decided on some distressed looking jeans and a black undershirt underneath the sweater. I pulled on my black UGG boots and then added my Tiffany's chain link bracelet to my wrist. My dad gave it to me for graduation and it was the only really expensive gift I'd ever gotten from him.

I went back into the bathroom to do my makeup and decided to keep it relatively simple looking. To my face I only put on powder, forgoing any bronzer or blush. On my eyes I did a subtly smoky look that Alice had told me. I do have to admit I went a little heavy on the mascara. I wanted to look simple, but still sexy.

My hair was a little frizzy from the blow drying and I wasn't really sure that I could do much with it so I pulled it over my left shoulder and made a loose side braid out of it. It was getting really long; I should probably cut it soon.

I watched a little bit of T.V. and called to catch up with my mom until I decided it was an appropriate time to head over to Edward's house. I decided to call and tell him I was about to leave and ask if I could bring anything.

"Hey" He answered on the fourth ring. He sounded a little out of breath.

"Hey, did I interrupt something?"

"No, no, it's not a big deal. Jasper and I were putting the leaf back into my dining room table and I ran to get the phone in time."

"Oh, sorry"

"No, honey, don't worry about it. What's up?"

"I just wanted to see if now is a good time for me to head over?"

"Yeah, definitely…everybody is already here."

I swallowed uneasily, thinking of his mom being there.

"Do you want be to bring anything? Or swing by the store for anything?"

"Nope, we're all good here. Just bring your adorable self."

I smiled and grabbed my bag and keys off of the table.

"Okay, well I'll see you in a few minutes then."

"Alright, can't wait."

"Bye."

I hung up the phone, put my sunglasses on, and left my apartment with the same giddy grin on my face from earlier.

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I knocked on Edward's front door and shifted my weight nervously while I waited for him to answer. I took my sunglasses off and tucked them away into my bag and then started fidgeting with my fingers.

All of my fears washed away the moment Edward's door creaked open and my eyes caught site of his beautiful smile.

"Hi, baby."

He took a step towards me, smile in place, and then used both of his hands to smooth the stray pieces of hair out of my face as he leaned towards me. This seemed to be a routine thing for him to do right before he kissed me. And sure enough, a moment later his lips were on mine and he kissed me softly and sweetly.

The way Edward always kissed me and held me was almost as if I was breakable or something, but I loved it. There was always so much affection in his touch. Like I said, he made me feel like a princess.

"Hi" I answered, feeling my stupid grin widen some more.

"You look beautiful." He said as he dipped his eyes down my body and back up.

"Thank you, you look pretty good yourself."

He had on dark washed jeans that went perfectly with his charcoal gray button up dress shirt. His hair was of course in perfect disarray. I bit my bottom lip as I checked him out and walked inside. My eyes lingered on his muscular biceps.

He closed the door behind me and took my hand, lacing his fingers with mine. I pulled it back out of surprise.

"What's wrong?" he asked, frowning at me.

"Sorry…I just…I thought maybe you would want to wait until we told Chelsea to be holding hands in front of her."

He shook his head and took my hand again.

"She's upstairs in her room. She drug Emmett up there to show him her new Barbie dolls."

I nodded and then he led me towards the kitchen. I took a deep breath as we entered and he squeezed my hand. Jasper was sitting at the kitchen table and Edward's mom was standing at the island, leaning over a recipe book.

My first reaction was that she was perfect. She had perfect hair, perfect make up, perfect nails, and perfect clothes…it was intimidating.

"Mom," Edward said, causing her to look up at us. "I want you to meet my beautiful girlfriend." He punctuated the word girlfriend with a kiss on the top of my head and I felt a blush rise to my cheeks. "This is Bella. Bella, this is my mother, Esme."

Her eyes locked on mine and for a long moment we just looked at each other. I wanted to move but I was frozen at Edward's side, unable to release his hand from the death grip I now had it in. I had been nervous before but now I was just downright uncomfortable. The way she was looking at me made me feel like she was sizing me up or something, already forming her opinion.

Her eyes remained hard and calculating for a split second but before I had the chance to cower out of the room her expression softened a little. She smiled but it didn't reach her eyes. It looked forced.

"Well, Bella," She wiped her hands on a dish towel and then came over and extended one to me. "It's nice to put a face to the name. Edward has spoken quiet highly of you."

I almost said 'nice to meet you too' but then I realized that she hadn't said it was nice to meet me, she only said it was nice to put a face to my name.

I took her hand with my right one and shook it, trying to muster up as confident of a smile I could. My left hand remained squeezing the shit out of Edward's.

"Likewise," I answered. "Edward has spoken highly of you too."

She gave me another curt smile and then released my hand.

"So, Bella," She said as she walked over to a cabinet and started pulling down some spices. "I hear you've already had the privilege of meeting my grandbaby. What did you think of her?"

I swallowed deeply and took another deep breath before answering.

"She's absolutely adorable. We had a great time." I said, trying not to mumble out of nervousness.

"She certainly is, but she can be a handful. I think people underestimate how much work a four year old can be. Being in her life is a big commitment."

I felt Edward stiffen next to me and a moment later he dropped my hand.

"Mom, can I please speak to you in the other room?"

"Certainly, sweetie…is something wrong?"

Edward led her out of the kitchen, towards the living room, and I stood there not really sure what to think. I looked over at Jasper who was gazing at me with a sympathetic expression. He pulled out the chair next to him and nodded towards it, signaling for me to sit down. I went over and sat down next to him with a big sigh.

"I know Esme is intense, but she'll chill out once she gets to know you."

I gave him a weak smile and nodded. I didn't know how to respond to that after Jasper himself had acted so weird towards me yesterday.

We sat there in silence for a few moments, although it wasn't particularly uncomfortable. Edward and Esme returned rather quickly. She went back to the kitchen and resumed cooking while Edward came and sat down next to me. He put his hand on my thigh underneath the table and looked over at him to smile softly.

"So, Jasper," Esme started. "Tell me all about this new position you got at work."

So I guess that was it. That was the end of my introduction with Esme. I had expected to have some sort of conversation with her, getting to know each other, but apparently she wasn't interested in getting to know anything about me.

I understood that it was natural for her to be protective over her child and grandchild, but she didn't even give me a chance. It was impossible that after a two second conversation with me she could have formed a substantial opinion on me.

I had been so excited about moving forward in my relationship with Edward, but it was looking like Esme might be a roadblock.

First impressions are everything and I had a feeling that I had already made mine before I got here.

I sat there and listened to Jasper and Esme chat, feeling disappointed. Sure I was nervous to meet her, but that was only because I worried it might be awkward. I never considered that she would be so cold to me. I wondered what Esme and Edward had talked about when they left the room. Did she tell him that she didn't think I was good for him?

I wondered exactly how Edward's relationship was with her. He did seem to be pretty attached to her and I wondered if their bond was so strong that he would listen to her advice unconditionally. If she told him that she didn't think I was good for him and Chelsea, would he listen with no questions asked?

Edward joined in on the conversation after a few minutes but I just sat there feeling like a wounded animal. I wanted to talk too but I wasn't sure if that would help or hurt my cause.

After a few minutes, Chelsea skipped into the room happily with Emmett trailing behind her. As soon as she walked in, the whole atmosphere changed. She was just so damn cute that she lit up the whole room. Watching her walk over to Edward and crawl her way up into his lap instantly put me in a better mood.

"Hi, daddy" She said as she planted herself down on his lap and leaned forward onto his chest, turning her head to the side.

Edward combed his fingers through her hair and the smile on his face was priceless.

"Is that my daughter I hear talking to me? I can't find her under all these curls …"

He started moving her hair around and apart as if he were looking for something she giggled. I thought it was impossible, but the smile on my face grew. He was so cute with her.

She kept giggling and turned her face up to look at him with a huge grin.

"There she is!" He said, feigning surprise. "I knew my little girl was under there somewhere. When did you grow such long and pretty big girl hair?"

She smiled wider and put her hand on his cheek.

"You're funny, daddy."

"Glad you find it funny, now. Because one day you're going to think it's really embarrassing." Emmett said as he sat down at the table across from me. "Hey, Bella" He added.

I nodded my greeting towards him and then turned back to Chelsea. She looked at Emmett for a moment looking as if she had no idea what he was talking about and then turned towards me and smiled.

"Hi, Bella"

"Hey!" I answered enthusiastically, glad that she thought enough of me to greet me.

She squirmed around in Edward's arms until she was turned towards me and then outstretched her arms in my direction.

"I have to give you a Thanksgiving hug like I gave to everybody else." She insisted.

I lifted my arms, more than willing to comply, and pulled her over into my lap while Edward passed her to me. He had another huge smile on his face.

Chelsea wrapped her legs around my waist and her arms around my neck, resting her head on my shoulder. I put one hand on her small back and the other in her soft hair.

I can't describe to you what it felt like to have her in my arms, hugging me tightly. I then understood what people meant when they talked about the unconditional love of a child. She barely knew me, but here she was, embracing me like I was her best friend. Just the weight of her in my arms, of Edward's daughter, felt good.

"You smell pretty, Bella."

_Eat it up, Esme. You may not be so fond of me, but your precious grandbaby is._

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**Okay so at first I wanted to make Thanksgiving all one chapter, but then I realized that it was going to be insanely long and I didn't want to skip over anything I wanted to include so it's going to be 2 parts.**

**I'm excited that I'm finally going to be getting into the drama. I feel like I've been setting the plot up for so long…**

**For those of you who thought that by 'drama' I meant they are going to break, don't worry. That's not happening.**

**GO REVIEW PEOPLE! IT MAKES ME UPDATE FASTER! **

**Tell me your fav parts ;)**

**Jenna **


	12. Thanksgiving Part 2

_Eat it up, Esme. You may not be so fond of me, but your precious grandbaby is._

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**BPOV**

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Before anyone else had the chance to speak, Chelsea hopped down off of my lap and started pulling on my hand.

"Come on," She insisted. "You have to come so hi to baby Bella."

I smiled at the reminder that she had name the giraffe that Edward bought her at the zoo after me.

"I'm surprised she didn't bring it down with her," Emmett said with a chuckle. "She doesn't let the thing out of her site."

Edward and I both laughed and then I felt her starting to tug harder on my hand insistently.

"I would love to go so hi to baby Bella." I said as I stood up. "Do you think she'll remember me?"

"Of course she will. She loves you." She said nonchalantly.

"Have fun." Edward said, flashing me a smile as I passed him and started following Chelsea out of the kitchen.

I allowed myself one glance back at Esme who had her back turned to me and appeared to be mixing something in a bowl across the kitchen. I sighed and then turned and followed Chelsea down the hall and towards the stairs.

Her room was adorable. The walls were painted a light pink, the furniture was white, and the décor was accented with small touches of zebra print. She had a huge bay window with long glass panes and a cushioned window seat. She had stuffed animals all over the window seat and to the side were two large toy chests. To the side of her bed she had a bookshelf filled with children's books. She must like bedtime stories.

"You room is so _pretty_." I told her.

"Thank you." She said with a smile.

She walked over to the corner of her room to retrieve the stuffed giraffe. It was sitting in a big white wicker rocking chair with a pink cushion that matched the walls.

"That's a good spot to keep her in, she looks comfortable." I said.

She picked up the giraffe and then climbed up into the chair with the stuffed animal on her lap.

"She is. I keep her in it because she's a baby and this chair is from my baby room." She explained.

"Well it's very pretty."

"Daddy says he used to me rock me in it when I was a baby." I smiled at the mental image. "Sometimes he still does when I have a bad dream and I can't go back to sleep...or when I'm sad."

I walked over next to where she sat in the chair and knelt down to her level.

"Hi baby Bella." I said, reaching out to pet the giraffe on the head.

Chelsea smiled and starting petting it's back.

"She looks happy. You must be taking good care of her."

"She is happy. She likes it here more than at the zoo."

"I bet. Anybody would like to live here with you."

"Daddy told me that I could invite you back over to come make pancakes again for me. His aren't very good."

I laughed a little as I continued petting the giraffe on her lap.

"I would love to come make pancakes for you again sometime. And maybe I could teach your daddy how to make them the way you like it."

She scrunched her face up a little and shook her head.

"Maybe, but he's not a very good learner."

I laughed again and looked at her curiously.

"What makes you say that?"

"Well sometimes I try to teach him how to play things with me that I like, but he's not very good at it."

"Hmm," I said thoughtfully. "Well maybe sometime I can come over to play with you. I'm a good learner."

Her face lit up and her eyes widened a little.

"Would you play hair dresser with me?"

She bounced around in her chair and kicked her feet excitedly.

"Sure, I _love_ hairdresser."

"Really?"

"Mhmm"

I was surprised by how excited she got just at the prospect of playing hair dresser.

"I don't ever get to play that game. Daddy doesn't have enough hair and grandma won't play it with me because her haircuts cost a lot of money and I might get tangles in it."

I frowned for a split second at the fact that Esme was so stuck up that she couldn't play hairdresser with her granddaughter because she was worried about tangles. Hasn't she ever heard of a fucking brush?

Before I let Chelsea catch on to my frown I smiled at her happily.

"Well you know what? My haircuts don't cost very much money at all and I don't mind tangles."

She giggled and reached up to stroke my braid.

"You should come over more, Bella. You're fun."

Chelsea and I continued to chat and we stayed up in her room for about a half hour. She introduced me to some more of her stuffed animals and told me some of her favorite things to play. I realized that this was the first time I had been alone with her and I was thrilled that it was going so well. I didn't give a shit if Esme liked me or not, because Chelsea did and she was most important.

When we decided to go back downstairs, Chelsea held my hand all the way. When we got to the living room, Emmett seemed to be just hanging up from a phone call.

"Hey, munchkin" Emmett said to Chelsea as soon as he saw us.

"What's a munchkin?" She asked.

"A cute little short person like you" He said as he leaned down to her level and poked her stomach.

"I'm gonna be taller than you one day, Uncle Emmy…" She insisted.

"Doubt it." He said, ruffling her hair. "Hey your daddy and Jasper are playing pool, why don't you go show him some pointers? He's not very good."

"I don't know how to play." She said, giggling.

"That's okay. Anything will help him, trust me."

She continued giggling and took off running down the hall. I laughed and turned to follow after her but Emmett stopped me.

"Wait, Bella, can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure…" I answered.

I hoped this wasn't about Rosalie. I didn't want to get involved in that mess but I didn't know what else Emmett could possibly want to talk to me about. We didn't even really know each other. To be honest, if he asked me how Rosalie felt about him, I really had no idea.

He moved and went to sit on the couch and I followed to sit next to him. He glanced towards the kitchen and then turned to look at me. When he spoke it was low, barely above a whisper.

"So Jazz told me that you meeting Esme was kind of…_tense._"

Oh. I hadn't been expecting that to be what he wanted to talk about and I wasn't really sure what he was getting at.

"Yeah, it was." I said, speaking in the same low voice.

"Well, I just wanted to give you some advice…from one Esme victim to another…"

I furrowed my eyebrows together questioningly and instinctively inched closer, interested in what he had to say.

"When I first starting hanging out with Edward, she hated me. She thought I was a horrible influence on him. I overheard her telling him once that I was immature and going nowhere in life."

I sighed and shook my head in annoyance. Esme was really starting to piss me off.

"So here's the thing," He continued. "You've got to be assertive with her. You can't just cower away with your tail between your legs in defeat; she thrives off of that shit. Esme gravitates towards people with strong personalities. She'll eat you alive at the first sign of weakness."

I nodded and glanced towards the kitchen.

"Well thanks for the warning."

"No problem. I know that it might seem like everyone in Edward's life kind of has a stick up their ass, but I like you Bella. Everyone's just a little on guard because Edward has never really dated since Chelsea was born, but I can see past that. I know that you're good for him."

I smiled and put my hand on his shoulder.

"Thanks Emmett, that means a lot."

It did mean a lot. He was right about the fact that it seemed like everyone was so quick to judge me, but it was comforting to know that _someone_ in Edward's life approved of me.

I was a little surprised when he leaned over and hugged me, but I hugged him back.

"I think me and you are gonna be good friends, Bella."

I smiled and patted his back.

"I'd like that."

"Well come on," He said as he pulled away. "Let's not be antisocial."

"Thanks, Emmett." I said as we stood up. "It's nice to know that I'm not the only one she's acted this way with."

"No problem." He said, ruffling my hair playfully.

We headed down the hall and into the room where the pool table was. I had to smile, remembering that Edward and I had our first kiss on that table. Well, I was on the table at least.

Edward and Jasper were playing while Chelsea sat in an oversized leather arm chair and watched them, swinging her legs back and forth.

I looked over at Edward to find him smiling at me, so I smiled back. I wanted to go over and kiss him but I wasn't going to do that with Chelsea in the room.

I curled up in one of the other leather chairs in the room and thought about what Emmett had said.

I guess I did act kind of defenseless with Esme. She was a total bitch to me and I just stood there weakly. I had been expecting her to make an effort, but maybe it had to be all me. Maybe I just needed to step up and _make_ her get to know me. I would just _make_ her see how good I was for her son and her granddaughter. I wanted to be in Edward and Chelsea's lives more than anything and I wasn't going to let his stuck-up mother stop me.

I tried to decide the best way to force myself on Esme. Maybe I should go into the kitchen and just sit down and tell her about myself. It's not like she could walk away from me and just abandon cooking Thanksgiving dinner.

I wasn't going to just lie down and take her being a bitch to me again. I'd been best friends with Rosalie for years…I knew how to play the passive aggressive bitch game. If Esme didn't like me, that was fine. But I wasn't going to let her make that decision now without knowing anything about me.

"Is everything okay?"

I hadn't noticed until he spoke that Edward was standing right in front of me.

"Yeah, I was just thinking."

"About what?"

"I think I'm gonna go ask your mom if she needs any help in the kitchen. "

Edward looked surprised, but pleased.

"Okay, do you want me to go with you?"

"No, no, I want to talk to her alone."

"Okay." He said, still sounding surprised.

I stood up, gave him an assuring smile to let him know that I knew what I was doing, and left the room.

I was surprised by how confident I felt as I walked towards the kitchen. Maybe because I knew that I was right. I knew that I was a good thing for Edward and Chelsea. I just had to make her see that. She may be used to being the only woman around to take care of Edward, but I planned on sticking around regardless of her bullshit. She better warm up to the idea of a new woman in Edward's life and she better do it real fast.

I paused outside the entry to the kitchen and took a deep breath.

_Hold on tight, Esme. Hurricane Bella is coming through._

I pranced into the kitchen with my head up and my shoulders back, trying to exude as much confidence as I could. I also thought the big smile on my face was a nice touch.

"Hey, Esme" I said casually. I didn't want her to sense any nervousness from me whatsoever.

"Hello, Bella. Did you need something?"

_As a matter of fact, I do. I need you to back the fuck off._

"No. I just thought I'd come see if there was anything I could help with."

"No, dear" I internally scowled at the patronizing tone in her voice as she called me dear. "I've got everything under control. I'm used to preparing our Thanksgiving dinner on my own."

"Are you sure? I thought maybe if I could help with something it would give us a good chance to bond. I'm going to be spending a lot of time with your son and granddaughter so it's probably a good idea that we get to know each other better."

The expression on her face was priceless. She looked at me like I had just peed on her shoes.

_Yeah, bitch. Don't think that your pretentious ass is going to scare me off that easily._

She cleared her throat and then picked up a sack of potatoes and handed them to me along with a peeler.

"I suppose you could help by peeling these."

"Great." I said with a stiff smile.

I took the potatoes and peeler from her and then grabbed a bowl and the trashcan and went to sit down at the table.

I started peeling and decided to wait a few minutes to see if she would start the conversation or if I would have to. Any normal mother would have probably started asking me questions about my life, but I was quickly learning not to expect anything from Edward's mother.

So, it was time to implement my assertiveness and go ahead and tell her about my life.

"So, I don't know what Edward has told you about me…but I'm a student at the university."

She nodded and raised her eyebrows.

"Yes, Edward tells me that you're a freshman. That's awfully young to be in such a mature relationship."

"Well I'm mature for my age." I said nonchalantly.

_Unlike you._

She gave no signs of intending to speak again, so I decided it was in my hands again.

"I grew up in Forks. My dad is the police chief there. Do you know where Forks is?" I asked, trying to provoke her to speak.

She nodded and resumed cooking without looking up at me.

"Yes, Edward was born in Seattle. I know that it's close by."

"Yup. Seattle's great. There's not much to do in Forks so my friends and I used to go there to shop."

Once again, she was silent. I was starting to get frustrated. What was her deal?

"I'm majoring in early childhood education because I love kids so much. That's why I have so much fun with Chelsea."

She sighed and gave me a small nod.

"She seems to enjoy your company just as much. That's a little surprising. She's normally much more shy around new people."

"Yeah, that's what Edward told me. I don't know why but I'm glad that she's so open to me. She's precious."

"She is. And I hope she's not my only grandchild."

"Well it doesn't sound like she will be. Edward says that he really wants more kids, he's determined to a get a boy at some point."

I smiled, remembering how Edward had been so cute when he talked about his future kids.

"Yes, I know he wants more children, but he _is_ thirty years old. If he wants to have more children then now would be his prime time to do so. I would just hope that he would keep that in mind before jumping into a relationship with someone who isn't ready for that."

"I don't think you need to worry about that, Esme. Edward is an amazing man and I think he knows perfectly well what he is getting into with me."

She gave me a curt smile and I started peeling the potatoes with a tad more aggression.

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**EPOV**

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I thought that by last night I had Bella all figured out, but I was wrong. She'd amazed me even more today. She was young and she was inexperienced, but I underestimated how strong she was.

First of all, I was pleasantly impressed that she didn't need me by her side while she was here. I knew that she liked being around me, but she wasn't clingy at all. And that was a good thing. She was completely cool with spending time with Chelsea upstairs just the two of them and she was also fine with hanging out with Emmett for a while. I was thankful that he was so open to her. It was a good thing that at least one of the adults in my life could make her feel comfortable and accepted.

I was even more impressed that she was willing to go back into the kitchen and face my mother alone after she had been so cold to her. I'd pulled mom aside earlier and asked her to please be open-minded and at least polite to Bella, but I couldn't be positive that she would follow through with that request.

So what did I do to ease my anxiousness about what was going on in the kitchen between my mom and my girlfriend?

I went and listened at the door, of course.

I'd asked Emmett to step in for me in my pool game with Jasper, and then I excused myself under the pretense of getting myself something to drink.

I lingered outside the entry way to the kitchen and listened closely to hear what was being said.

"Are you sure?" I heard Bella say. "I thought maybe if I could help with something it would give us a good chance to bond. I'm going to be spending a lot of time with your son and granddaughter so it's probably a good idea that we get to know each other better."

I raised my eyebrows in surprise. I was impressed and proud of her for standing up for herself.

"I suppose you could help by peeling these."

"Great." Bella answered happily.

There was a long pause before Bella spoke again.

"So, I don't know what Edward has told you about me…but I'm a student at the university."

"Yes, Edward tells me that you're a freshman. That's awfully young to be in such a mature relationship."

"Well I'm mature for my age." Bella stated flatly.

I shook my head in annoyance. I was upset that my mom wasn't honoring my request to be open-minded about Bella, especially when Bella was actually putting in an effort to tell her about herself.

"I grew up in Forks. My dad is the police chief there. Do you know where Forks is?" Bella asked.

She didn't sound rude at all, just insistent that my mom join in conversation with her.

"Yes, Edward was born in Seattle. I know that it's close by."

I was disappointed with mom's short answers. She may not be thrilled about my relationship with Bella, but it wouldn't kill her to be friendly.

"Yup. Seattle's great. There's not much to do in Forks so my friends and I used to go there to shop."

I was even more disappointed when my mom didn't even answer her and Bella spoke again.

"I'm majoring in early childhood education because I love kids so much. That's why I have so much fun with Chelsea."

Speaking of Chelsea, I was then distracted from my eavesdropping when I noticed her walking down the hall towards me.

I smiled and went and met her halfway, scooping her up into my arms.

"What are you up to, you little monster?" I asked as I started tickling her with one hand.

"I'm thirsty." She said through her giggles.

"Well I guess I better go get you some water then, huh?"

"No, I want apple juice."

"Drink a glass of water and if you're still thirsty after that then I'll give you some juice."

I carried her into the kitchen and examined the scene around me. Bella was facing away from me, sitting at the table and peeling potatoes. My mom was standing at the kitchen island, mixing what appeared to be dressing. Neither of them was looking at each other and they both looked a little annoyed.

I sighed, put Chelsea down on her feet, and then turned to go get her a cup of water.

"The turkey smells good." I commented as I stood at the refrigerator, letting Chelsea's cup fill.

"Yeah, everything is coming along well. I think we'll be ready to eat in about another hour and a half." My mom said.

"Sounds good"

I turned back around towards the table and smiled when I saw Chelsea sitting on Bella's lap and Bella whispering something in her ear while she giggled. I glanced over at my mom to find her watching them carefully as she stirred. The expression on her face almost looked…_scared_.

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Bella wasn't left alone with my mom again at all that day. In fact, they barely spoke to each other the rest of that day. We all made small talk while we ate dinner but my mom never really directly addressed Bella and Bella never really directly addressed her. I hoped that in time the tension between them would cool down but I also worried that it was just wishful thinking. I knew that Bella was putting in an effort to get to know my mom but even though it wasn't fair, I think my mom had already formed preconceived notions on Bella before she even met her. It's difficult to change a person's opinion on you nonce it had already been made but I was thankful that Bella was trying. It showed how much she wanted to get along with my mom for my sake. It showed me how much she didn't want my mom's bad attitude to put a damper on our growing relationship.

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My mom left around eight because one, she never likes staying out late. And two, she had to be up early to meet some of her friends at the country club for breakfast.

She said her goodbyes to everyone, giving Chelsea a hug and a kiss, and then I walked her out to her car.

"So what did you think of Bella?" I asked hesitantly, not sure if I wanted to hear her answer. "I'm hoping that you took my request seriously and tried to stay open minded?"

"I really did try to stay open minded, Edward, but…" She sighed and looked like she was at a loss for words.

"But what, mom?"

"But she's just so _young_. How you can possibly think that she's ready for the kind of relationship that you require?"

"And what kind of relationship is it that I require, mother?"

"How you can possibly think that she's equipped to take care of you and Chelsea?"

"I don't need her to _take care_ of me or Chelsea mom. I just want to make her part of our lives. She makes me happy and she makes Chelsea happy, isn't that enough?"

"And who says that that's going to last, Edward? What happens when she decides that she's ready to move on to the next thing? What are you going to tell Chelsea when Bella isn't around anymore and she's already attached?"

"Who says that Bella is going anywhere, mom? She wants to be in my live just as much as I want to be in hers."

"She's eighteen years old, son. She doesn't know what she wants. And I think it's utterly irresponsible to have her around your daughter like this."

"What is irresponsible about having Chelsea around something she's been missing out on all this time? It doesn't make a difference whether Bella is eighteen or thirty two. It's good for Chelsea to have a female in her life. I don't want her growing up under the influence of a bunch of guys. And you know what? It's good for me to have a female in my life too."

"Chelsea doesn't need another female in her life, she has me."

"Is that what this is about?" I asked, starting to raise my voice. "Are you _threatened _by her, mom? Do you realize that she can provide things for me and my daughter that you can't?"

Maybe that was a low blow, but she was being completely ridiculous.

"Oh stop it, Edward. You know that's not true. I'm just trying to think about Chelsea before anything else. You need to take into consideration what she deserves."

"She _deserves_ to see her dad be happy. Bella makes me _happy_, mom. Do you know how long it has been since I felt this way?"

She shook her head and started to get into her car.

"You're not thinking clearly, Edward. You're blinded by physical attraction."

"That is _not_ what this is about, mom, and you know it."

She shut her door without answering me and drove out without even another glance in my direction. I pulled on my hair and groaned in frustration. Why couldn't she just back off and let me make my own decisions?

I knew that my mom was just being protective, but it was way out of line. It was one thing for her to voice her concerns to me, but she should also be able to accept that I had thought all of this through and I wanted to be with Bella no matter what she thought. She should be respectful of that.

I couldn't blame her for being wary of the age difference, since I was too at first, but I prayed that she would realize in time that it wasn't a big deal like I did.

Seeing the way that Bella interacted today with Chelsea only further confirmed to me that I wanted to tell her about our relationship, regardless of my mother's feelings.

I headed back inside where I found everyone lounging in the living room, watching T.V. I knelt down in front of where Chelsea was cuddled up on Emmett's lap so I could be on her level.

"Hey, sweetie, you want to go with me and Bella to my room for a minute? We have something we want to talk to you about."

I glanced over at Bella right as her expression changed and I knew that she knew exactly what it was we were going to tell her.

"Okay." Chelsea mumbled as she started to sit up straighter to get off of Emmett's lap.

She had been leaning back on his chest with his shirt fisted in her hand. Her eyes looked heavy. I smiled and stood up and then leaned forward to hook my hands under her armpits and pull her up into my arms. She locked her arms around my neck and sighed deeply.

"Are you sleepy, princess?"

She didn't say anything but I felt her nod into my neck.

"Well then how about Bella and I go talk to you in your room and then when we're done we'll read you a story and put you to bed. Would you like that?"

She mumbled a yes against my neck and I smiled. I looked at Bella then nodded towards the stairs and she stood up.

"You guys can just hang out down here if you want." I said to Emmett and Jasper. "We'll be right back."

"Actually," Jasper said, standing up. "I think I'm gonna head out. I still haven't fully recovered from last night."

"Yeah I think I'm gonna head out too, man." Emmett agreed, standing up with him.

"Alright, well thanks for coming over." I said to them.

"Yeah, thanks for the invite." Jasper said.

They both came over to me and gave Chelsea kisses on the head.

"Later, Chelly" Emmett said through a yawn.

When Chelsea was learning how to say her name, she couldn't pronounce it properly and it came out sounding more like 'Chelly' so Emmett and Jasper sometimes used that nickname with her.

Jasper said a quick goodbye to Bella and I was surprised to see that Emmett actually went over and gave her a big hug. I guess they had bonded during their little chat.

Once Emmett and Jasper left, I carried Chelsea up the stairs with Bella following behind me. She picked out some sleeping beauty pajamas and I helped her change into them. The three of us sat down on her window seat and she curled up in my lap, looking up at me expectantly.

"So, like I said, there's something that Bella and I want to talk to you about."

"Okay." She said before yawning. Her mouth formed a cute little 'O' and I smiled.

I glanced up at Bella and she gave me an encouraging smile so I smiled back and looked back down at Chelsea.

"It seems like you had a lot of fun today with Bella just like we had fun with her at the zoo."

"I like Bella. She smells pretty and she likes to play the same things that I do."

I smiled and nodded.

"Well I like Bella too, and I want her to spend more time with both of us."

She yawned again and smiled.

"I think Bella should come over more so she can play with me."

"She will. Sometimes she'll be over here to spend time with you, sometimes she'll be over here to spend time with me, and sometimes she'll be over here to spend time with both of us."

"I hope she comes over a lot."

"Me too" I said with a nod.

I paused and tried to decide how to explain the rest of everything to her.

"You know how Alice is Uncle Jasper's girlfriend?"

She nodded up at me to answer my question.

"And do you understand how that means that she's more than just his friend?"

She nodded again and sat up to get a better look at me.

"Well I asked Bella to be my girlfriend which means that she is more than just my friend the way that Alice is more than Jasper's friend."

Out if the corner of my eye I could see Bella break into a huge smile, which made me smile.

"Did she say yes?"

"Yes she did, thankfully. And she makes daddy very happy."

She smiled and patted my cheek.

"That's good, daddy. I like it when you're happy."

"So you might see us hold hands or kiss and hug sometimes because that's what boyfriends and girlfriends do."

Chelsea turned around in my arms to look at Bella.

"I'm glad that you told daddy that you would be his girlfriend, Bella. Now you can come over and play with me a lot."

"But you have to share her with daddy." I said, combing through some of her hair.

"Sometimes" She agreed.

Bella reached out and pulled Chelsea into her arms. They were both smiling.

"You and your daddy make me very happy Chelsea, and I'll come over and play with you as much as you want me to."

She nodded against Bella's chest and I noticed that her eyes were starting to get droopy again.

"Sweetie, why don't you go pick something out for us to read to you?" I suggested.

She got up and went over to her bookshelf, sitting down on the floor to pull out random books and look at the pictures on the covers to make her decision. Bella smiled at me and then reached over to squeeze my thigh quickly before getting up to follow Chelsea over to her bookshelf.

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**BPOV**

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Chelsea wanted Edward and I to read her _Rapunzel_ so we did but she fell asleep in less than fifteen minutes so we didn't actually have to read the whole thing. We turned off the lights in her room and then snuck out quietly.

We did most of the dishes from dinner and then we curled up on the couch with a blanket. I sat on his lap with my head on his shoulder while he rubbed my back.

"I missed you today." He whispered in my ear. "I know you were here, but I feel like I didn't get to spend any time with you."

"That's because I was too busy trying to win over your mother." I mumbled against his shirt.

He sighed and lifted my shirt a little so he could rub my back directly.

"I'm really sorry about the way that things went with he –"

I lifted my hand and pressed a finger to his mouth to stop him.

"Don't. She already stressed me out enough for one day. I just don't even want to think about it right now."

I felt him nod against my hand so I lowered it again.

"What would you like to talk about, then?" He asked.

"Nothing, I don't want to talk at all."

I pushed myself up and shifted until I was straddling him. I leaned forward until my lips were pressed to his and then I kissed him softly. I didn't want to talk about our day or his bitch of a mother. I just wanted to be with him.

Our kisses quickly heated up. His hands ran up and down my bare sides, inching higher and higher with each pass, as our tongues wrestled with each other. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled myself as close to him as I could get with my chest flush against his.

I kept moving around on his lap as we made out, desperately searching for any kind of friction.

When he pulled away for air, his eyes smoldered into mine. That along with his panting was enough to effectively soak my panties.

"Baby…you've got to stop wiggling around like that." He said through his shallow breathing.

"Why?" I whined, trying to inch closer to him. "It feels good to feel you so hard under me."

"I know, but I'm gonna be thoroughly embarrassed when I come in my pants because you won't stay still."

I giggled and pushed my hands up under his shirt to run my fingertips along his abs, making him shiver. I was pleased that he had such a strong reaction to me.

"It's not funny. I've been sexually repressed for four years…there's only so much I can take…"

I laughed again and leaned forward to flick his earlobe with my tongue.

"Let's go to my bedroom…" He whispered huskily.

"But what if Chelsea comes down here?"

"She's sound asleep but I'll lock my door just in case she does wake up."

"Okay."

I got up and followed him into his room where he shut and locked the door behind us as he said he would. I excused myself momentarily to use the bathroom because that would be a major mood killer to have to get up and pee in the middle of a hot make out session.

When I emerged from the bathroom he was standing at his large window looking outside over the pool. I walked up behind him and pulled up on the bottom of his shirt. He sensed what I wanted and unbuttoned it so I could pull it off.

Once his shirt had been relocated to the floor, I wrapped my arms around his waist from behind. I started tracing his abdomen muscles again with my fingertips again while I placed light kisses all over his back. He back was just as sexy as every other part of him. First of all, it was insanely muscular. He had nice broad shoulders which then tapered down nicely into his waist.

"You're so sexy…" I murmured against his skin.

"Mm…you have no idea what just you touching me does to me."

I switched my soft pecks on his back to passionate open mouthed kisses at the same time that I popped the button open on his jeans, making him shiver again. I undid his zipper and then placed my palms flat against his stomach and started rubbing his skin with my hands, dipping lower and lower with each pass. I let one hand dip just below the waistline of his boxers, almost reaching his manhood, but then I pulled it out again.

I walked around him until I was standing in front of him, facing him. I put my hands on his hips and started pushing down the fabric of his jeans.

"I want to see you…" I whispered.

He helped push his pants and boxers down at the same time until they were low enough on his thighs for his erection to spring free.

I smiled and immediately wrapped my hand firmly around his shaft. He was big, just as I had suspected.

"Bella," He whimpered. "I just want to say before we get too into this…I think we should wait a little while for actual sex. I want that to be special."

I nodded and started slowly stroking him, making him moan.

"I'm not trying to initiate sex. I just want to return the favor that you did for me last night."

He moaned again and I started stroking faster and gripping him tighter. I watched his face carefully while he looked down between us and watched what I was doing to him with lust filled eyes.

"I want to taste you…" I whispered.

"Then you better stop what you're doing now before I finish."

I nodded and released him and then got down on my knees in front of him and pulled his pants down the rest of the way until they were around his ankles.

I looked up at him from under my lashes and held eye contact with him while I took him in my hand again and brought him to my lips so I could kiss his tip.

"Baby…" He sighed, putting his hand on the back of my neck.

He seriously _was_ sexually repressed because he was panting and moaning continuously before I even got him all the way into my mouth. I pumped him in and out of my mouth a few times before I got serious about making him come.

Jake and I had dated for a long time before I gave him my virginity and I had to do something to keep the boy satisfied. Therefore, I could confidently say that I knew how to give a pretty damn good blowjob.

I relaxed my throat muscles and took Edward in as deep as I could, making him moan louder than he had yet. I sucked on him and then swallowed around him. I could feel him instantly grow harder in my throat.

I was surprised by how quickly he was getting close to finishing, but he _had_ warned me that he wasn't going to last long.

I moaned around him, which he seemed to love the feeling of, and then I lifted my hand to gently cup his balls. That seemed to do him in.

"Fuck!" He yelped. "Bella, I'm gonna come…"

I knew that he was warning me in case I wanted to pull away but I had no intention of doing so. I swallowed around him again and a moment later I was rewarded with his hot spurts shooting down my throat. I kept swallowing until I knew he was done and then I released him from my mouth and looked up at him.

"Bella…" He panted. "I thought you were supposed to be the inexperienced one? Where the _hell_ did you learn to give head like that?"

I shrugged as I stood up. To be honest, I liked doing it…for him.

I didn't think that it was possible to actually enjoy giving a blow job but I guess when it's someone you really care about you really do _enjoy _it.

I would enjoy doing anything for Edward.

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**Okay I gave you part two the very next day so I think that deserves a review from EVERYBODY. **


	13. Closer

**A/N: I own nothing other than my crazy, crazy thoughts and my love for my reviewers.**

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**EPOV**

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"Are you going to be good for Alice tonight, Chels?" I asked.

"Does she play as good as Bella does?"

"She's _very_ good at playing." Bella promised her. "And she loves princess movies. Maybe you could watch one with her."

"When are you coming home, daddy?"

"Not until after you're already asleep, princess. But I promise to come give you a kiss when I get back."

"Where are you going? Bella looks pretty."

"You're right. She does look pretty. I'm going to take her to go watch a movie and out to eat dinner."

I was thankful that Alice was willing to babysit Chelsea. I was looking forward to the alone time with Bella.

It had been three weeks since Thanksgiving and things between my mother and I were…_tense_, for lack of a better word. She remained stuck in her preconceived notions about my relationship with Bella and it was really starting to irritate me. Because my mom was being such a pain in the ass, I refused to spend any of my free time with her or ask her for any more help with Chelsea than what was absolutely necessary.

Bella and I hadn't really discussed my mom much and I never did tell her about our disagreement in my driveway on Thanksgiving. I told her that I was committed to this relationship regardless of what my mother had to say about it, and that seemed to be all she wanted to hear on the subject. They hadn't been around each other again since Thanksgiving and I had no immediate plans to change that.

Because of the fact that I didn't want to request any extra help from my mom, I only asked her to watch Chelsea while I was working. I didn't even like having to do that much but I really didn't have any other options. Jasper and Emmett helped me out occasionally but I didn't want to be a burden on them, so Bella and I didn't get very much time alone. Along with my busy work schedule, I had Chelsea to take care of. I spent as much of my free time as I could with Bella, but it usually only consisted of us hanging out at home with my daughter every night. Hanging out with both of my girls at the same time was great, but I was craving some adult time.

The upside to all of the time the three of us spent together was that Bella and Chelsea had gotten pretty close. Actually, pretty close was probably an understatement. Chelsea absolutely adored her. My little princess was usually a complete Daddy's girl so I was surprised the first time we had all been watching a movie together and she wanted to sit on Bella's lap instead of mine. That sort of thing may have normally hurt my feelings as a father, but I was just thrilled to see them getting along so well. And to put the icing on the cake, Bella seemed to hold just as much adoration for Chelsea as Chelsea held for her.

Chelsea wasn't the only one who was experiencing deepening feelings for Bella. I swear every single time I looked at her I fell for her even more. She was ridiculously adorable, ridiculously sexy, and ridiculously sweet.

We'd been pretty deprived of adult time since we spent so much time around the little one, but not _completely._ Although Bella never spent the night with Chelsea there, we did sometimes find a little bit of time after she went to sleep for some physical closeness. We still hadn't explored anything further than oral, but that was totally fine with me. In fact, I thought it was a good thing. Our sexual relationship had taken off pretty quickly in the beginning and I was glad that things had evened out a little bit. I was incredibly sexually attracted to Bella, but I wanted our first time to be perfection.

I was distracted from my thoughts when I heard the doorbell ring.

Tonight, Bella had asked Alice to babysit and thankfully she agreed so Bella and I could have a date night.

"That must be Alice. Do you want to go get the door?" I asked Chelsea.

"Okay"

She hopped off of the couch and headed for the front door. Bella and I both got up and followed after her. She reached up to turn the handle and then pulled the door open to reveal a smiling Alice.

"Hey there, cutie pie!" She said to Chelsea as she walked in.

"Hi." Chelsea answered as she came over to me and leaned against my leg, playing with the fabric of my pants.

I recognized this as something she did when she was being shy, I just didn't know why she was feeling that way. She'd been around Alice before so it wasn't as if she didn't know her. Maybe it was the thought of being alone with her for the night.

I closed the door behind Alice and then led her into the kitchen. She had Bella's cell number but I also gave her mine just in case she had trouble getting a hold of us.

"Chelsea already ate dinner and I already gave her a bath and put her in her pajamas, so you guys can basically do whatever. She's got tons of toys in the living room and in her room or if you want to you can put in a movie."

"Bella told me that you like princess movies." Chelsea said from where I'd set her up on the counter.

"I sure do." Alice said with a nod.

I smiled and continued on.

"She normally goes to sleep around eight or eight thirty but she was up early today so she might get tired before that. I'm not too strict on bedtime, she normally just tells me when she gets sleepy…but obviously nothing too late."

"Got it" Alice said with another nod.

"She knows where everything is and you're more than welcome to eat or drink whatever I've got in here."

"Sounds good"

"I won't be out too late, we're just gonna go to dinner and a movie."

"Alright, well take your time. We'll be fine here."

I nodded and turned to Chelsea.

"You be good for Alice. She's in charge and you have to follow all the same rules you do when I'm here, okay?"

"Okay."

"I'll come up and check on you when I get home. I love you."

"Love you too, Daddy."

She leaned up and gave me a kiss and then I picked her up off of the counter and put her down on her feet. As soon as she was free from my hold she ran over to Bella who knelt down to her level for a hug and a kiss. After saying her goodbyes to Chelsea, Bella came over and took my hand and I led her towards the door to the garage.

"Thanks, Alice." I said.

"Yeah, thank you. You're amazing." Bella said, giving her friend a warm smile.

"No problem, we're gonna have a blast. You guys just enjoy yourselves."

She gave Bella a suggestive wiggling of her eyebrows and we both laughed.

"Have fun with Alice, sweetie." I said to Chelsea.

Bella blew Chelsea another kiss and then we left. We walked hand in hand to my car where I opened the door for her. She smiled at me as she slid into her seat and I returned it before shutting her door. I walked around to the driver side on cloud nine, excited to spend the evening alone with my girl. As soon as I had gotten in and closed my door, Bella reached over and grabbed my face and kissed me. It was brief but passionate.

"What was that for?" I asked with a smile when she pulled away.

She shrugged and dipped her had down to place a soft kiss on my neck.

"That was because I felt like kissing you. And even though I'm completely smitten with your daughter and I love all the time we've spent with her, I'm excited to go out with you tonight."

I nodded and smiled when she kissed my neck again.

"I know what you mean. I'm happy to get some alone time with you. My daughter's not doing a very good job at sharing you with me…I think she's trying to keep you all to herself."

"Jealous?"

"Mhmm"

She brought her lips back up to mine again but this time she didn't pull away. We made out for a few minutes until we were both in need of oxygen and had to separate. I gave her one last peck before straightening myself in my seat to face forward and started the car. I wanted to keep kissing her, but I didn't want to miss our movie.

"We should have taken my car. It's so much cooler than this hunk of junk." She joked, making me laugh.

"I don't think I could even fit in your car."

I glanced over at her Mustang parked in the street and continued laughing as I backed out of my driveway.

"It's roomier than it looks."

"Mm…okay." I said with a smirk.

"Don't be a hater…I worked _all_ through high school to buy myself that car when I graduated…it's my baby."

I was impressed to hear that. That car must have been brand new when she bought it. It was nice.

"Well I'm proud of your work ethic, but your little Mustang still has nothing on the Range Rover, babe."

"Whatever. You just don't have good taste because you're old."

I had to laugh at that. Every time we bantered like this and she didn't have a comeback, she just told me that I was old and therefore my opinion was invalid.

"Yeah, that must be it."

"So New Years Eve is next week, do you know if you're going to have to work?"

"No, I'm working Saturday on Christmas day so I'll have off for New Years."

"Well Rosalie is throwing a party at our apartment. Do you think you would want to go?"

"I would, but I'm not about to ask my mother to babysit and I'm sure everyone else I would normally ask to watch her already has plans. It's kind of difficult to find a babysitter on New Years."

"Oh. Well that's okay. We can just stay home with Chelsea and make it a night of snuggling."

"Well just because I can't find a sitter doesn't mean that you have to stay home with me, baby. You could still go to Rosalie's party if you want to."

She paused a moment and looked thoughtfully out the window.

"No, it wouldn't be any fun for me if you weren't there."

I smiled and reached across the console of my car to hold her hand. She smiled back at me.

"Besides, I have to be with you so I can give you a kiss at midnight. Chelsea will already be asleep by then. I can't just leave you to ring in the New Year by yourself...how depressing."

"We'll see. There are two girls that live next door that babysit for me sometimes. I can always ask them if you really want to go out."

She shrugged and turned to look out the window again.

"It doesn't matter. I'm okay with whatever you want to do, as long as we're together."

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**BPOV**

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Edward Cullen was a very distracting man to go see a movie with. I tried to focus on the screen, but all I could think about was the perfectly sculpted body next to me. The whole time I had to continuously resist the urge to stand up and ask everyone to kindly vacate the theater so I could be alone with Edward because I was incapable of resisting the beautiful cock that was attached to my beautiful boyfriend.

Each time his thumb would brush across the back of my hand when he held it or he would lean over to kiss my forehead, the small focus that I _was _able to keep held on the movie completely vanished. It really wasn't fair for one man to be so sexy and perfect, but I was thankful that since by some flaw in science he did exist…he was at least all mine.

By some miracle, I was actually able to make it through the entire movie without jumping and molesting Edward. In the car on the way to dinner, he wasn't so lucky.

"Can you explain to me why at the beginning of this car ride, your hand rested leisurely on my thigh…and now it's cupping my crotch?"

I shrugged but didn't make any move to remove it.

"I can't help it. You're penis calls to me. I think it's my soul mate."

"You think? Wow, and you haven't even had full-on interaction with it yet."

"I know but I think it was love at first sight."

He laughed and then removed my hand from his crotch and kissed the back of it before placing it in my own lap.

"As much as I hate to have to separate you from your soul mate, we're almost there and you're getting me hard."

We'd picked a Mexican restaurant that neither of us had been to. We were sat in a booth towards the back and the hostess left us with two menus plus a pamphlet that listed all of their special alcoholic beverages. While we looked over our menus I lifted my leg that was next to the wall and put my foot up on Edward's booth seat so it was sitting right next to his thigh. Without looking up from his menu, he slid his hand up under the bottom hem of my jeans and rubbed my shin. Thank God I shaved my legs this morning.

"Do you mind if I drink?" He asked suddenly.

"No, why would I mind?" I asked, looking up at him from my menu.

"I don't know, I just didn't know if it would be rude of me to drink when you can't."

I smiled and shook my head.

"No, I wouldn't mind. But thanks for asking. That was thoughtful."

I thought it was sweet that Edward was trying so hard to be such a gentleman, but I honestly wouldn't have thought twice about him drinking. All of my friends were older than me and I was used to them drinking when we went out to eat.

Our waitress came over a moment later and Edward ordered a Crown and Coke for himself with just a regular Coke for me.

"Do you know what you want to eat?" he asked me after the waitress left to get our drinks.

"No, I can't decide."

"Do you want to split the fajitas for two?"

"Mm, yeah, that sounds good."

"Do you want chicken or beef?"

"Beef" I said quickly. "Fajita chicken tastes weird."

"Alright" He said, chuckling softly.

I looked up to smile at him and noticed two women approaching our table. Edward noticed my curious gaze and followed my eyes, looking of his shoulder to see what had caught my attention. When a smile formed on his face and he let go of my leg to stand up, I caught on that he must know them.

One of the women was a tall, curvy, blonde. The other was just a little bit shorter with short and spiky red hair.

"I thought that was you!" The blonde said as Edward leaned over to kiss her cheek. "It was a little hard to recognize you from behind, but I would know that sex hair anywhere!" She said with a giggle as she combed her fingers through Edward's hair.

After he kissed her cheek she then threw herself into his arms in a hug that was a little too touchy feely for my liking.

My jealous girlfriend instincts immediately kicked in. Please tell me that bitch did _not_ just put her skanky little fingers in _my_ man's sex hair.

"You remember Carmen don't you?" Skankbag asked Edward.

"Of course I do." He leaned over to kiss the firecrotch skank on the cheek. "How are you, Carmen?"

Some people may say that me calling the red head a firecrotch skank before she even spoke was a little uncalled for, but I validated it through her association with the blonde bitch.

"Can't complain." The firecrotch said, answering Edward's question.

Edward sat back down and then looked over at me.

"Bella, this is Kate." He said, gesturing to blondie. "She's one of the nurses I work with at the hospital."

Great, Edward _works_ with the hoe?

Kate extended her hand to me and I shook it with a polite smile.

"And this is another friend of mine, Carmen." Edward continued, gesturing to the firecrotch.

I repeated the polite smile and handshake with her. Edward then took my hand across the table and gestured with his other to me.

"Kate, Carmen, I'm glad I have the opportunity to introduce you to my amazing girlfriend. This is Bella."

Kate looked down at me with a smiled that reminded me of someone gushing over a cute child.

"Bella, I am _so_ happy to meet you. All of us nurses at the hospital are thrilled that Edward has found someone who makes him so happy. It's amazing. His attitude at work is just completely different. We can't keep the smile off of his face! And he speaks _very_ highly of you."

I glanced over at Edward who was smiling shyly and I'm pretty sure he was blushing. I was touched that he had been talking about me at work.

"He's a great guy, I'm glad I found him." I said, turning back to Kate.

"Are you going to be bringing your little lady to the work Christmas party on Tuesday, Edward?" She asked. "I know all of the girls would be thrilled to meet her."

"Yup, we'll be there." He said with a nod.

"Fabulous! Well, we will let you get back to your date. We just wanted to come say hi."

"Well it was great to see you both. I'll see you at work, Kate."

"It was really nice to meet you." Kate reiterated.

"Yes, it was." Carmen agreed.

"Nice to meet you both as well." I said with a smile.

Edward and I both watched them walk away and then he turned back to me with a smile.

"Well, I guess now you know that I gush about you at work." He said with a playful smirk.

"Yeah" I mumbled, still thinking about that blonde bimbo being all over my man.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing" I lied.

"Are you _Jealous_?" He said, starting to laugh.

"It's not funny…" I whined. "How would you feel if a guy that I knew came in here and commented on _my_ sex hair?"

"You don't have sex hair." He said, starting to thankfully calm down in the laughter department.

"You know what I mean." I snapped.

"Bella, honey, Kate and Carmen are lesbians."

"Really?" I said, wide eyed.

"Yes, really. I would have introduced them as partners to clue you in but I don't think they're officially a couple."

"Wow…I guess I have no gaydar whatsoever. I've never met lesbians before."

That made me feel a _whole_ lot better about the situation. In fact, I was thrilled that Edward was working with at least one lesbian. That was one less worry I had about girls hitting on him.

"Feel better?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Yes. Maybe I can even befriend her and recruit her to keep an eye on you at work."

"Why do I need to have an eye kept on me?" He asked, sounding amused.

"I need to have my property defended."

"Am I your property?"

"Well I was actually thinking more along the lines of your penis. But if you happen to be attached to it then so be it."

He laughed louder than before and put his hand back on my leg.

"Baby, you are so cute I can't even handle it."

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Edward had to work all day on Tuesday but I was excited to be accompanying him to his work Christmas party that evening. I was looking forward to meeting all of his co-workers and I was glad that he had asked me to go. He was involving me in another aspect of his life and that just confirmed that he was serious about our relationship.

I was also looking forward to see him being addressed as Dr. Cullen all night because let's just be honest…Edward in doctor mode is sexy as fuck.

I already had the perfect dress to wear that I'd recently bought to wear to a relative's wedding. It was black and simple, but sexy at the same time. It also happened to be extremely flattering on me and Rosalie agreed that it was just right for this kind of event. The only problem was that I'd broken the heel on the shoes I brought to go with it, so I was going to have to buy new ones.

I was just stepping out of my car at the mall when I got a call from Edward. I knew that he was at work so I was surprised to be hearing from him.

"Hello?"

"Hey, what are you up to?"

"I'm shopping for new shoes to wear with my dress tonight so I can look hot next to me sexy doctor boyfriend."

"Well I'm sure that you looking hot would never be a problem, but I have bad news. I hope you haven't bought any shoes yet."

"No, I haven't. Why? What's wrong?"

He sighed and I started to worry. I stopped walking and stood still in the parking lot to give him my full attention. Besides, he kind of told me not to buy shoes so there wasn't really a point in going inside.

"I just got a call from Chelsea's preschool. Apparently she's sick so I don't want to leave her with Jasper tonight. I'm gonna have to stay home with her."

"Oh no, what's wrong with her?"

"She's got a fever and an upset stomach."

"Aw, poor baby" I said with a frown. I didn't like the thought of her not feeling well.

"I know. I'm trying to get someone to come in and cover for me right now so I can go and get her, but we're a little short handed here."

"I can go and get her if you want." I offered quickly.

I hated imagining her having to sit at preschool waiting for Edward and not feeling well. I'm sure she just wanted to be home and in her bed.

"Are you sure? I don't want to inconvenience you. I would ask my mom to do it but she's out of town for a couple days."

"Of course I'm sure. She needs to be home as soon as possible. I don't have classes because I'm on winter break and I don't need to find shoes now or get ready for tonight so my day is freed up."

He sighed again but this time it was a sigh of relief.

"You don't know how much stress you just took off of me, Bella."

"Seriously, I'm just happy to be able to help."

"Can you come swing by the hospital on your way? I need to give you the house key and her car seat."

"My car is only a two door. It doesn't have a full back seat. Is the booster sit gonna fit back there?"

"Shit. I don't think about that. No, it's not." He paused a moment and I assumed he was thinking. "Well I guess you'll just have to take my car and leave yours here and then I can drive it home when I get off."

"Alright" I said as I walked back over to my car and got in. "I'm leaving right now from the mall so I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Okay. I'll meet you outside by my car. Employee parking is in the back."

"Okay. I'll see you soon."

"Thank you so much."

"I seriously don't mind, Edward."

After we hung up I made my way to the hospital as quickly as I could. My heart broke just at the thought of Chelsea being sick and I wanted to get to her as quickly as possible. I just hoped that I would be an adequate substitute for her Daddy until he got off work.

I circled around the hospital until I found the employee parking. Edward was standing next to his car and talking on his cell phone. He hung up as I pulled up into the space next to him and came to greet me at my door as I got out.

"Hey." He said in a relieved tone.

"Hi, baby." I said, giving him a sympathetic look. He looked exhausted.

He gave me a quick peck on the lips and then wrapped his arms around me in a huge hug. He lifted me off of the ground for a second and then put me back down and pulled away.

"I just called the preschool and told them that you're gonna be picking her up. I wrote out some directions for you." He said, handing me a small piece of paper.

I nodded, pressed the lock button on my car keys, and then handed them to him. He took them and put them in his pocket and then handed me his own keys, pointing out which one was the house key.

"I usually let her lay in my bed and watch T.V or a movie when she's sick so if she wants to put on her pajamas and do that she can."

"Okay." I said with a nod.

"All of my medicine is in the cabinet to the left of my sink in my bathroom. The thermometer is in there and I should also have some Tylenol or Motrin to help get her fever down."

"Okay, got it."

"Just make sure she drinks a lot of water and if she gets hungry she can have some dry toast. My shift only lasts a few more hours but I'll try and get home as soon as I can."

I nodded and took his hand in mine.

"I know you're going to worry because she's your little girl, but I promise to take good care of her. I'll call you if anything happens or if we need anything."

"Okay. I'm gonna keep my phone on loud so I'll be able to hear it."

I squeezed his hand and stretched up on my tip toes to peck his lips again.

"I should get going. I don't want her to have to wait too long."

"Okay. Will you text me once you get her home?"

"For sure"

He walked me over to his car and opened the door for me. I slid into the driver seat and pushed the button on the side of it to move the seat forward. It seemed like I had to hold the button down forever and after a few seconds Edward laughed softly.

"What? I can't help it that I'm short." I said defensively.

"Thank you so much for doing this, baby. You don't know how much I appreciate it."

"You're welcome." I said, trying to give him a reassuring smile. "I'll text you as soon as I get her home. Try not to worry yourself into a frenzy. You're old. Your heart can't take it."

He laughed again and I was glad that I'd at least been able to bring a smile to his face.

Edward shut my door for me and then gave me a small wave through the windshield as he walked back towards the hospital building. I allowed myself two seconds to admire his ass as he walked away from me and then I looked down at the paper he had given me to read the directions. Once I thought I had a good enough idea how to get there, I put my seat belt on and started the car.

Thankfully, Chelsea's preschool was pretty close to the hospital. When I got there, I threw the car into park in the closest space I could get and hurried inside to approach the front desk.

"May I help you?" The woman behind the desk asked.

"Yes, I'm here to pick up a student."

"What's the student's name?"

"Chelsea Cullen."

"Are you the child's mother?"

"No I'm not."

"What's your relation to the child?"

"Family friend" I said. "Her father was notified that she was sick and since he's at work, he asked me to come and get her."

"And your name is?"

"Bella Swan."

"Can I see your I.D. please?"

I pulled my drivers license out of my wallet and handed it to her. She looked at it for a moment and then handed it back to me.

"Hold on one moment please." She said before getting up from her chair and disappearing through a door behind her.

I waited for what seemed like eternity and I was starting to get frustrated. Edward said he had called and informed them that I was picking Chelsea up, so what was the problem? Just when I was almost ready to burst through that door and go find out what was going on, the woman reemerged with Chelsea and her backpack. Chelsea's face was blotchy and red. I could tell she had been crying. It seriously broke my heart.

Without thinking, I immediately hurried over to her and picked her up. She wrapped her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist, clinging to me tightly.

"Are you okay, sweetie?"

She shook her head and then rested it on my shoulder.

"No." She mumbled. "My tummy hurts."

"Well I'm gonna go home with you until your Daddy can get off work and I'm going to try and help you feel better, okay?"

"Okay."

"Ms. Swan, I'm going to need you to fill out this form before you can leave with her." The woman who had now returned to behind the counter asked me.

She put a piece of paper on the countertop in front of me and handed me a pen. I didn't want to put Chelsea down especially when she was clinging to me so tightly. So, although she was a little heavy to support with one arm, I tried to manage it while I filled out the paper with my other hand.

The form only asked for simple things like my phone number and address so I was able to breeze through it pretty quickly. When I was done I slid the paper back over to her and then picked up Chelsea's backpack from the counter and slid the strap over my shoulder.

"Am I good to go now?" I asked anxiously.

She looked over the paper once to make sure I filled everything in and then looked up at me with a smile.

"Yup, that's all we needed from you."

That's all I needed to hear. I turned around, mumbled a thank you over my shoulder, and carried Chelsea out to Edward's car.

I got her strapped into her car seat and gave her a kiss on the forehead before I shut her door. She was pretty quiet on the way home so I just let her be. When I was sick I didn't really feel like small talk so I didn't want to try to start a conversation and annoy her.

"Do you want to go lay in your Daddy's bed?" I asked as I carried her into the house.

She didn't say anything but I felt her nod against my neck.

"Let's go change you into your jammies first."

I carried her up the stairs and into her room and opened the top drawer on her dresser where I knew Edward kept her pajamas. She picked her _Sleeping Beauty_ ones, which I'd started to realize by now were her favorite, and I put her down to help her change into them. Once I was done helping her I put her dirty clothes in her hamper.

"Alright," I said as I picked her up again. "Let's go get you tucked into your Daddy's bed."

"Will you get baby Bella?"

I smiled and followed her eyes to the stuffed animal in her rocking chair.

"Of course I will."

I went over to grab the giraffe and then left her room and went back downstairs. I made my way into Edward's room and over to his bed. I had to smile when I pulled back the sheets and was hit with the scent of Edward.

I put her down on the bed with baby Bella next to her and then I pulled the covers up and tucked them around her.

"I'll be right back, okay? I'm gonna go get you some water and some medicine."

"Okay."

As I walked into the kitchen I pulled my phone out of my pocket and typed out a quick text message to Edward.

"_I've got her home and tucked into ur bed."_

I put my phone away and then entered the kitchen and went to find her a sippy cup with a lid. I filled it with water and then took it back into Edward's room and went to hand it to her.

"If you drink lots of water it will make you feel better. Tell me when you're done with this and I will get you some more."

She nodded and lifted the sippy part of the lid to her lips for a sip. While she drank I made my way into Edward's bathroom and felt my phone vibrate in my pocket again.

"_Thanks for letting me know. Call if u need anything."_

I went straight for the cabinet that Edward said the medicine was in and knelt down in front of it. I pulled out the thermometer and some chewable Tylenol tablets. I read the box to determine the appropriate dosage for her and then I took the medicine back out into the bedroom with me. I walked over to the side of the bed she was laying on and sat down on the edge.

"Can you sit up for me sweetie so I can take your temperature?"

She nodded and sat up. The thermometer was one of the electric ear ones that look like a gun so thankfully I would be able to get her temperature quickly. I pushed some of her hair out of the way and inserted the end of the thermometer into her ear and held down the button. It only took a few seconds for it to beep and then I pulled it out.

101.2

It was a pretty solid favor but at least it wasn't dangerously high.

I gave her the chewable Tylenol and she took them like a champ. I had been a little concerned since I remembered from being a kid that I hated the taste of them but she did really well. She made a disgusted face as she chewed them up but she didn't complain.

Once I'd gotten some medicine in her and settled her in with her cup of water, I asked her if she wanted to watch T.V. or if she would like me to put in a movie for her. She decided she wanted to watch _Beauty and the Beast_ so I retrieved it from the movie closet in the living room and popped it into the DVD player in Edward's room.

I asked if she wanted me to make her some toast but she said that her tummy was still upset and she wasn't hungry. Deciding that I'd done all I could for her at the moment; I sat down on the bed to keep her company while she watched the movie.

"Bella?" She asked in a soft voice.

"Yeah, sweetie?"

"Will you lay down with me? Daddy always lays with me when I don't feel good."

I smiled at the thought that she wanted me to lay with her and that my comfort was a good enough substitute in her Daddy's absence.

"Of course," I said as I moved to get under the covers with her. "I would love to lay with you."

I lay down and extended my arm to her. She scooted over closer to me and curled up into my side. I stroked and played with her hair absentmindedly while we watched the T.V. Right when I was starting to think that she might have fallen asleep she turned her head to look at me and spoke.

"I like cuddling with you, Bella. You're softer than Daddy."

I smiled and kissed her forehead. Obviously she was trying to compliment but she definitely worded it funny.

"I like cuddling with you too. You're good at it."

"Do you ever cuddle with your Daddy?"

I laughed, imagining myself cuddling with my Dad. Awkward.

"Not really. My Daddy doesn't really like to cuddle."

She paused and just looked at me for a moment before lifting her tiny little palm to my cheek.

"You can cuddle with _my_ Daddy sometimes if you want to. I can share him like I have to share you."

I smiled and tightened my arm around her.

"You are the sweetest little girl I know."

She smiled weakly and then yawned. I put my hand on her forehead to see how hot she was. She didn't seem any worse than she was when I picked her up but I still hoped that the medicine would kick in soon.

She lifted the sippy cup to her lips and chugged down some more water.

"My cup is empty." She informed once she was done.

I took it from her and started to get out of the bed.

"Good. That's good that you're drinking a lot. I'm gonna go get you some more, okay?"

"Okay."

I refilled her cup and took it back to her to find that she was once again focused on the movie. I turned off the light in the room and then went to close the blinds, hoping that maybe the dark would help her fall asleep so she could rest.

I climbed back into bed with her and she curled into my side again. Sure enough, it didn't take long for her breathing to even out and for her to fall asleep.

I slipped out of the bed quietly and turned off the movie. I went into the living room to watch T.V. but I left the bedroom door open so that I would hear her if she called for me. I would have stayed in the room with her but I didn't want to accidently wake her up.

I watched T.V. for about thirty minutes before I heard the garage door opening. I guess Edward had been able to get off work. I got up and turned off the T.V. and started heading for the kitchen right as the door from the garage opened. Edward walked in all his hotness and smiled when he saw me.

"Hey, how's she doing?"

"She's sleeping."

"Good. Has everything been going okay?"

"Yeah, I gave her some water and some Tylenol and I offered to make her some food but she said she wasn't hungry. I put on _Beauty and the Beast_ for her and she passed out pretty quickly."

He put his stuff down on the kitchen table and then came over and gave me a quick kiss before walking over to the pantry.

"I hope I have something that will be easy on her stomach…she probably needs to eat when she wakes up."

"I thought you said you were going to give her dry toast?"

"Yeah, I just wish I had something with little more nutrients."

"You don't have any soup?"

"No, but I should. I should be more prepared for a sick child…"

"It's not a big deal," I said as I went to the table and grabbed my keys from where he had put them down. "I'll just go to the store and get some."

He turned around to face me and sighed.

"Bella, I feel bad asking yo –"

I went over and put my hand over his mouth to cut him off.

"Stop it, Edward. Stop telling me that you feel bad that I'm helping you. I want to."

I pulled my hand away and he didn't say anything but he looked like he wanted to.

"It's not a problem whatsoever. I'll even get something to make us for dinner too, I'm starving."

"So am I." He confessed.

"Then don't bitch about it. I'll be back in a little while, okay?"

He nodded and reached for his wallet in his back pocket.

"Alright, but let me give you some money."

I decided to throw him a bone and not argue about that one since he already had his panties in a bunch. So I took his credit card from him, gave him a quick kiss, and turned to walk towards the door to the garage.

"Bella?"

"Yeah?" I asked, turning back around.

"I know that you _want_ to help me take care of Chelsea, but I still want you to know how much I appreciate it. I see how much you care about her and you have no idea how attractive that is to me."

"You're welcome." I said, feeling myself blush.

At the store I got a few cans of chicken noodle soup and the ingredients to make spaghetti for Edward and I. I decided to get Chelsea some Gatorade as well because I always drank that when I was sick to keep my body hydrated. It would probably do her well.

When I got back to Edward's house I went in through the garage and put all of my groceries down on the kitchen counter. I went in to the living room area and when I didn't see him I continued in to his bedroom. He wasn't in there either and neither was Chelsea.

"Edward?" I called.

I didn't get any response so I walked back out into the living room and then went to look around the rest of the downstairs. I found no trace of them anywhere so I assumed they must be upstairs.

I went up the stairs quickly and walked down the hall towards Chelsea's room. There was a dim light coming out of her door. That must be where they were. I continued walking until I was in front of her open door and then I looked inside as I turned the corner.

Edward was sitting in the corner of the room in the white wicker chair that Chelsea had told me was from her baby room. The room was illuminated only by the dim glow of a lamp on her nightstand. He was dressed in just a pair of cotton pajama pants with no shirt on. Chelsea was curled up on his lap, wrapped in a blanket, with her cheek pressed against his bare chest. Her eyes were closed and she appeared to be asleep. Edward rocked her back and forth gently and was combing his fingers through her hair softly.

The site in front of me reminded me of the way I had felt watching them in the aquarium at the zoo. I could see just in the way Edward was looking at her how much he loved her and it made my heart swell with emotion. He was such a good father and Chelsea was lucky to have him. I couldn't understand why Tanya would ever leave him. Any woman would be lucky as hell to have Edward father her children.

When he saw me he looked up and smiled weakly.

"Hey." He whispered.

"Hey," I replied in a whisper as I walked into the room. "Is she asleep?"

As I got closer I could see that her skin was blotchy again. It looked like she'd been crying again and that thought made me frown.

"Yeah, she just fell asleep. She woke up right after you left and said was hungry so I gave her a piece of toast and she threw it up."

"Poor baby…" I mumbled in a whisper.

"I know. I hate it when she's sick. It makes me feel so helpless."

He looked down at her again and kissed her forehead. The love in the look on his face was so strong and sincere that I seriously was going to have to leave the room before either A, I started to tear up. Or B, I threw the child off of his lap and jumped him, demanding that he surrender his penis to me right there.

"I'm gonna go downstairs and start on our food." I told him, still speaking in a whisper. "I'm making spaghetti."

"That sounds delicious. Thank you."

I nodded and turned around to leave.

Edward's stove was a fancy gas one so the water boiled a lot faster than on my crappy electric stove at home. I poured in a generous amount of pasta for two people and stirred it continuously so it wouldn't stick together. I took down two bowls and then searched around his cabinets until I found a strainer to drain the noodles.

I put the drained noodles back into the pot and then popped open the jar of sauce and poured it in. I grated some parmesan cheese on top, added some salt and pepper, and stirred it all together.

I jumped when I felt two hands on my waist from behind.

"That smells fabulous…" He mumbled against my ear.

"Thank you. Now go sit down and I'll serve you."

He dipped his head down to kiss my neck once and then let go of me.

"Would you like a glass of wine?" He asked.

I could hear him fumbling around in a cabinet behind me.

"You're going to condone underage drinking?" I joked.

He laughed softly and then I heard the pop of a cork.

"Wouldn't be the first time, would it?"

I laughed as I served up some pasta into each of our bowls.

"I would love some wine, thank you."

I turned around and carried our two bowls over to the table as he sat down our glasses of wine. I smiled when I noticed that he set our places next to each other instead of across from each other. As I put our bowls down I noticed a baby monitor sitting on the table.

"What's that for?"

"Chelsea. Sometimes I use them when she's sick so I can hear if she wakes up and throws up or something. If I can't hear her I start checking on her obsessively."

I smiled and he pulled my chair out for me.

"The receiver on this one is turned off though so we can hear her but she can't hear us."

"Well that's good."

I sat down and he pushed my chair in for me before kissing my head and taking his own seat.

"This smells so good, babe. Thank you for cooking."

"Anything for my man" I said, leaning over to kiss his cheek.

As we started eating Edward started making moaning sounds with every bite. I was glad that he liked it but it's not like it was a special recipe or anything. I guess he was just really hungry.

"So," I started when we were about halfway done. "Did you tell your mom that Chelsea's sick?"

"No. She would just go into overprotective mode and be calling every five minutes. And she doesn't need to know, anyway. My incredible girlfriend and I seem to be handling it just fine." He said, flashing be a big smile.

Talking about his mother reminded me of something I'd been meaning to ask him about. Now seemed as good of a time as ever.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course. What's on your mind?"

"Well…you never talk about your Dad. What's the deal with him?"

His face hardened and he took another bite of pasta. He looked thoughtful as he chewed and waited a few moments after swallowing to answer me.

"I don't talk about him because he's not part of my life. He hasn't been for over ten years."

I tried to evaluate his mood before I asked any more questions. He didn't look angry but I could tell that I'd brought up a sensitive subject.

"So Chelsea's never met him?" I asked after a few moments.

"Nope. And she never will."

I wanted to hear the whole story but I didn't want to push him into telling me if he didn't want to or if he wasn't ready. I waited a little while to see if he would say anything else about it but when it became apparent that he didn't have anything else to say, I decided to change the subject.

"You know, when I walked into Chelsea's room earlier…you two were so precious."

"You think me in a pink rocking chair like an old woman is sexy?" He asked with a smirk.

I shook my head and rolled my eyes.

"You know what I mean. I think seeing you in Daddy mode is so sexy…"

"Yeah?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Yeah" I said, nodding. "I don't know what the deal is with your Dad, and I'm not going to ask you, but I hope you realize what an amazing father _you_ are."

His face shifted from a playful expression to a serious one. He swallowed hard, making his adams apple bob up and down in his throat.

"I can't even imagine how hard it is for you, being a single parent, but when I see how much you adore her and how much she loves you…"

He put his fork down and his eyes looked glassy as if he were about to tear up.

"I guarantee you that you more than compensate for the lack of her deadbeat mother in that little girl's life. She is lucky to have you."

He leaned over, tilted my face up to his, and kissed me with so much passion that I totally forgot about what was left of my dinner.

He went down on my twice that night and refused to let me compensate at all.

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**This chapter is dedicated to ****Brpatzlover**** because your reviews are always amazing and they seriously light a fire under my ass and make me want to go write chapters immediately. **

**For everyone who has asked if I have a twitter account, I do not.**

**I also want to say that things will work out between Bella and Esme…eventually.**

**Oh and for everyone who has asked when Not Just An Act Anymore 2 will be updated…I'm going to update that next. Hopefully within the next couple of days…I just got on a roll with this story I suppose.**

**Oh and I want a review from everyone because this chapter was really long…also because I see how many people have this story on alert and I KNOW there are a lot of silent readers who are not reviewing. Those of you who do review, thank you so much for your unrelenting support and your eagerness for more chapters. You guys are the reason I update.**

**And my pregnancy is doing well to all who asked. THANK YOU!**

**Jenna **


	14. Coochie de Rosalie

**EPOV**

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"Dude, I fucked Rosalie again." Emmet said as if he were telling us he'd won the Nobel piece price

"When?" Jasper asked.

"Two days ago. She gave me her number when we were all over here the day before Thanksgiving and I just never called her because I was too nervous. But I called her two days ago and Bella is out of town so she told me to come over to her place…and we fucked. And it was incredible."

"Good for you, Em. I just hope you kept it Rosalie's room. I don't want to think about you fucking on my girlfriend's kitchen table or something." I said as I laughed and took another sip of my beer.

Once a month the three of us tried to get together for a guy's night and tonight was that night. I normally would have taken Chelsea to my mom's house and we all would have gone out or something, but I still wasn't on the best terms with my mother. Therefore, Emmett and Jasper came over after I'd put Chelsea in bed and we were all sitting in the living room having a beer while she slept upstairs.

"I think I'm gonna ask her out." Emmett said suddenly.

"Ask her out? Don't you think have already slipped into fuckbuddy territory?" Jasper asked him.

Emmett shrugged and took a sip of beer.

"I don't know, but it's worth a shot. She's so fucking sexy and our sex is amazing."

"Maybe it's so great because there are no strings attached." Jasper suggested.

"No, I don't think that's it." Emmett replied.

We all sat in silence for a minute before Jasper started laughing quietly. I looked over at him questioningly.

"Kind of funny, isn't it? Six months ago we were all three complaining about not get any and now we're all getting laid."

"That's right, you _are_ getting laid…" Emmett said as if he'd forgotten something important. "So why are you suggesting that my sex is only good because there are no strings? You and Alice have strings and your sex is good."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Jasper said with a surrendering shrug.

"No strings attached sexual relationships aren't everything their built up to be, anyway. Everything is always better with feelings behind it…its more passionate." I said.

"Well Rosalie must feel _something_ for me, because that girl is definitely passionate. She's got stamina, too."

"Dude, you don't even know about stamina." Jasper started. "The other day me and Alice did it three times in one hour."

"That doesn't mean you have stamina, Jazz." I joked. "That just means you don't last long."

"Or that Alice is just so good I _can't _last long."

"What about you Edward?" Emmett asked. "You haven't said anything about you and Bella."

I laughed as I tried to imagine what they would say when I told them we hadn't slept together yet.

"What's so funny?" Jasper asked. "Is she horrible in bed or something? Wouldn't surprise me. She's obviously never had good sex if she'd never had on orgasm before…"

"I wouldn't know." I said.

"What do you mean, you wouldn't know?" Emmett asked.

"I haven't had sex with her yet."

"Are you serious?"

"One hundred percent"

"Why not?" Jasper asked.

"Because I don't want to rush into anything and I want it to be meaningful."

"But what if it's not good, man?" Jasper started. "You know that she's not very experienced. You're building it up so much…I hope you don't get let down."

"I'm not going to be let down." I said confidently. "Even if all she does is lay there it was still be perfect because it's with her. In fact, I like the she's inexperienced. It means that she's giving more of herself to me."

"Dude," Emmett started with a smirk. "When did you grow a vagina?"

We all laughed and I threw my beer bottle cap at him.

"I didn't grow a vagina. I just want it to be special. And it's not like I'm going to play sultry music and light candles or some cheesy shit like that. I just want the timing to be perfect. And I want it to feel totally natural. As soon as it feels right, we'll do it. "

"I'm just playing. I can respect that. I really like Bella. I think she's good for you." Emmett responded.

"She is good for me. And she's good for Chelsea, too. You should have seen how eager Bella was to help me out with her when she was sick last week. I know it might not seem like a big deal, but it was the first time that I've been able to take care of Chelsea when she's sick without having to rely on my mom for help. It felt so good to take care of her together…like a team."

"So you really are serious about her, huh?" Jasper asked.

"If I wasn't I wouldn't have her so involved with my kid."

"I have to admit that at first I thought this whole Bella thing was just because you were lonely and horny, but I guess I was wrong." Jasper said to me.

"Very wrong" I agreed.

"Has your mom lightened up at all on the Bella thing?" Emmett asked.

"No, not at all. It's annoying. She doesn't even know Bella, she's just worried that I'm not going to need her anymore or that Bella's gonna replace her or something so she automatically has hostility towards her."

"Did she tell you that?"

"No, but it's obvious. She has no other reason to dislike Bella. She doesn't know her and if she did she would see how amazing she is. She's being a complete child about it."

"I'm sure she'll come around eventually. She's just not used to there being another woman in your life."

"Well she better get used to it."

.

.

.

.

.

.

After Jasper and Emmett left that night I decided to call Bella, hoping that she was still awake. She'd been home all week with her Dad for Christmas and I really missed her.

"Hello?" Her voice sounded a little raspy and disoriented.

"Hi, baby. Did I wake you up?"

"No, you didn't…I was just sort of half asleep. I guess I zonked out watching T.V."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Do you want to go back to sleep?"

"No, I want to talk to you. How was your boy's night?" She asked through a yawn.

"It was alright but I would rather have spent it with you. I miss you."

"I miss you too. I can't wait until I can get home and see you."

"What did you do today?"

"Nothing, really. I just hung out with my Dad all day. It was kind of boring."

"Well I'm sure he appreciated the bonding time."

"Yeah, I guess. I told him about you today."

"You did?"

We'd briefly discussed her telling her father about our relationship and she'd said she was worried that the age difference would freak him out.

"Yeah"

"What made you decide to do that?"

"Well he kept asking me if I was going to see Jake while I was here and it was really starting to annoy me so I decided it was probably best to go ahead and tell him I'm dating someone. I mean, he was going to find out eventually."

"Yeah, you're right. So how did he react?"

"Well he wasn't happy about your age but he stayed surprisingly calm. He said he wasn't going to yell at me about it because that would just put a wedge between us and that I'm an adult anyway so he can't do anything about it. But he did stress to me to be cautious."

"You _should_ be cautious." I said with a smile. "I might corrupt you."

"I'd welcome it." She answered.

"Mm, I bet you would."

"So tell me about your day."

"Well for starters, and I don't know if I'm breaking some kind of man-code by telling you this, but did you know that Emmett hooked up with Rosalie again?"

"Like after that night at your house?"

"Yeah, like two days ago."

"No, she didn't tell me. But I haven't talked to her in the past two days."

"He's thinking about asking her out. I think he's really into her."

"Wow. Well I honestly have no idea what she would say."

"Well I guess we'll find out."

"Yeah…I kind of hope she says yes. I really like Emmett."

"Yeah, he's a good guy. I think he likes you a lot too."

"Good."

She yawned loudly and it reminded me of how tired I was from work.

"Well I'm gonna let you get back to sleep, honey. I'm pretty exhausted myself. I just wanted to call and say goodnight."

"Wait I forgot to ask you if Chelsea liked my Christmas present."

Bella had left a wrapped gift for Chelsea since she wouldn't be here. I was going to give her the gift on Christmas day, but Bella and I had planned on exchanging our gifts to each other when she got back in town and I thought she might want to give Chelsea her gift in person as well.

"Actually, I didn't give it to her. I thought maybe you would want to give it to her when you and I exchange our gifts."

"Oh. Yeah that's what I thought initially but I didn't want her to wake up on Christmas morning and wonder why she didn't have a gift from me."

"Well I told her that you have something for her and that you'll give it to her when you get home."

"Oh, okay."

"I'm sorry. I should have asked you first what you would prefer."

"No, no, it's okay. You're right. I want to be there when she opens it. Then I can explain it to her too."

When she said she wanted to explain it to her I was curious what she'd gotten her. I had no idea what it was.

"Well she has something for you too so I thought it would be nice for you to exchange gifts at the same time."

"She has something for me?" She asked, laughing. "What is it?"

"I can't tell you. It's a surprise. But you'll love it, I promise."

"Aw, I'm excited."

"You should be. Now go get some sleep and I'll see you in two days."

"Okay, sweet dreams."

I laughed softly and sighed, wishing I could kiss her.

"Goodnight, Bella."

"Night."

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**BPOV**

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"I've been sleeping with someone." Rosalie said with a sheepish expression.

Good. I was glad that she was going to tell me about her and Emmett and not try to keep it from me.

I'd just gotten home from my Dad's house for Christmas and upon walking in the front door to our apartment Rosalie had ambushed me, saying she needed to get something off of her chest.

"Who?" I asked, trying to sound like I didn't already know.

"James."

"What?" I said, dropping the clothes that I was about to carry over to the washer.

That was _not_ what I was expecting her to say. James was a married guy that Rosalie had slept with habitually last year. For a long time she didn't know he was married and when she found out she completely stopped talking to him. He was a major sweet talker, however, and had charmed her into a few rendezvous since then.

"I know, I know, I'm a major whore…"

"You mean you've been sleeping with him, like, regularly?"

"Yes…" She said, barely above a whisper. "I don't know what's wrong with me. Why can't I say no to him?"

"I don't know, Rose. But you have to stop. This is just going to keep eating you up inside and you're gonna feel worse and worse about yourself the longer this goes on."

"I know that, Bella. But you don't understand how hard it is."

"But you're better than…_that_. Rosalie, you are better than sleeping with _someone else's_ man. There are tons of guys who would be thrilled to be with you. The _right_ way."

I wanted to bring up Emmett, who was obviously into her, but I couldn't let Rosalie know that I knew she'd slept with him again. I couldn't risk it getting back to Emmett that I knew and then him getting mad at Edward for telling me.

I did feel bad for Emmet, though. From what Edward told me I was pretty certain that he wasn't aware of the fact that he wasn't the only one getting his rocks off at coochie de Rosalie. Emmett was a good guy. Whatever was going on between be him and Rose was clearly not just sex to him and I didn't like the thought of her leading him on…even if it was unintentional.

"I tried deleting his number but it's permanently burned in my brain and every time he calls it's like I'm fucking hypnotized. I can't _not_ answer."

"Maybe you can call your phone company and get his number blocked."

"Yeah, maybe. Ugh! I need a drink."

"I'm on it." I said, getting up and heading into the kitchen to pour us both a shot of vodka.

I carried our shot glasses back into the living room and sat down on the couch next to her. She hummed in appreciation as I handed her hers.

"I fucking love you bitch. Anyone else would think I'm joking about needing a drink at eleven A.M. But you totally get me…"

"Bottoms up"

I raised my glass to hers and we clinked them together in a toast before downing them.

"How was your visit with your Dad?"

"Shitty. I spent the whole time either watching him watch football or listening to him bitch about how I should go see Jake while I was there. I think he's still in denial that we broke up…over a year ago."

"He doesn't know about Edward?"

"He does now. And he's not happy about it but he's knows how stubborn I am. If he gives me too much of a hard time about it he knows it's just gonna make me want to drive to Vegas and just fucking marry him."

"My little rebel…" Rosalie said with mock pride in her voice.

"I'm glad I told him, though. It got him off my back about Jake and he was going to find out eventually anyway."

"What did he think about the kid?"

"…I kind of left that part out." I admitted sheepishly. "I think the age difference was enough to lay on him for now. I'll tell him about Chelsea later and just pretend that it must have slipped my mind."

"Well he's gonna find about that sooner or later too. And don't be surprised if Edward wants to meet him or something. Apparently he's _really_ serious about you."

"What are you talking about? Are you bff's with my boyfriend now? Been gossiping on the phone?" I asked with a small laugh.

"_Noooo…_" She said in a singsong voice with an eye roll. "But I talked to Alice and she told me that Jasper told her that Edward was gushing about you the other night."

"Really? What did he say? Tell me everything…"

"Well I guess they started talking about sex and then it came up that you and Edward haven't sealed the deal yet. Apparently the guys started giving him a hard time about it and he got all mushy, saying that he didn't want to rush you and he wanted it to be special. He said he wanted it to be perfect but he knew that it would be no matter what because it would be with you."

"Wow. Did he say when he was planning on finally doing me?"

Edward had kept insisting that he wanted it to be 'perfect' so I didn't push him. I figured when he finally felt it was 'perfect' he would let me know, but I was getting impatient. Everything we had been doing was great, but I needed _more_. Every time I was around him I left a horny hot mess and I was in serious danger of self combusting one of these days.

"Alice said that all he would say was that when the time was just right, you guys would do it."

"Ugh…I need another shot."

I got up and went to retrieve the bottle of vodka and then returned to the couch and refilled both of our shot glasses. We repeated our toasting motion and threw back the burning liquid.

"He needs to hurry up and decide that the time is right." I complained. "I'm tired of waiting."

"Maybe you should try to seduce him."

"I thought about it, but no. I want our first time to be because he wants to and he decides we're ready…not because he's giving in to me."

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense." She agreed. "It will be pretty gratifying when he says he's ready and you know that he's thought it over and wants you."

"Exactly"

"Are you gonna be around for my New Years Eve part on Friday?"

"I don't know. I hope so. I need to ask Edward if he found a babysitter…that industry is kind of shorthanded on holidays."

"Yeah, I bet. Man…little kids are such downers."

"No they're not. Little kids are so much fun, especially Edward's."

"Yeah, yeah…I'm so sure. Isn't she, like, a major cockblock?"

"Not really." I said with a shrug. "I mean, she's four years old so she goes to bed pretty early. Even if we do have to spend all day with her, we always get a good chunk of alone time at night."

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**EPOV**

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"DADDY! I DID IT AGAIN!" Chelsea screamed, making me wince at the volume.

"Chelsea, sweetie, I'm right here. You don't have to yell." I said, laughing a little.

I was sitting on the couch in the living room watching a football game and drinking a beer while Chelsea sat on the floor in front of the coffee table with a crayon and a whole stack of paper. Last week she had just mastered the skill of writing her name and she hadn't stopped since. I swear the only times she took a break was to eat, sleep, or use the bathroom. I should probably stop her or she would definitely develop carpel tunnel by the time she turned five.

Every time she would finish writing her name she felt the need to alert me, loudly, with a proud smile. It was adorable but it was also a little bittersweet. This was another milestone in her life that she was passing and I really wished she would stop growing up so damn quickly.

Her penmanship was by no means neat, but it was legible.

"Daddy?"

"Hmm?"

"When is Bella going to come back? I miss her."

I looked away from the T.V. and at my daughter to smile at her.

"I miss her too. But the good news is that she should be back in town about now. And she's gonna come over tonight so we can give her our Christmas presents."

"Is she going to cook for us?" She asked as she looked down to start writing her name once again.

I laughed at her question, she sounded hopeful.

"Yes she is. So I guess that means you don't have to eat my yucky cooking tonight."

"That's good." She said with an approving nod, making me laugh again. "Can we watch a movie with Bella too?"

"If she wants to, sure"

"She will if I ask her too." She said smugly. Where the hell did she get such an attitude from? "She loves me."

Bella hadn't ever directly told Chelsea that she loved her but I, and Chelsea too apparently, knew that it was true.

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**A/N**

**Sooo…I lied about Not Just An Act Anymore being updated first, but I **_**didn't**_** lie about it being updated in the next couple days. It's half way done I'm just having a little bit of writer's block on that story right now :/**

**I need to hear yalls thoughts on something. Would you rather read about Edward and Bella having a quite New Year at home, or going to Rosalie's party? I'll leave that one up to you guys.**

**Yes, we are going to find out what happened between Edward and his Dad later on.**

**Yes, I know that Rosalie is a whore…but you guys are going to feel bad for her later.**

**Oh, and by the way…**

****WARNING**: EDWARD IS INDEED GOING TO SEX BELLA UP SOON…SO I RECOMMEND YOU GUYS GO STOCK UP ON EXTRA PANTIES…YOU'RE GONNA NEED THEM.**

**Yeah, we're about to get smut-tastical up in here…and yeah, I did just make up that word.**

**Jenna**


	15. Moving Forward

**BPOV**

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I was one giddy bitch as I drove to Edward's house. It had only been a week since I'd seen him and Chelsea but it was a week too long.

When I pulled up into the driveway, I was surprised to see Edward in the garage. He was fumbling around as if he were looking for something but as soon as he heard my car he looked over at it with a smile. I threw the car in park, ripped off my seatbelt, and scurried out.

Edward slowly started walking over towards me but I didn't have the patience for that. So, I ran over to him and threw myself into his arms with my legs wrapping around his waist and my arms around his neck. He grunted softly with the force that I chucked myself at him with, but wrapped his arms tightly around me nonetheless.

"Eager?" He asked with a smirk.

"Very."

I pecked his lips quickly and then hugged him as tightly as I could. He chuckled and kissed my hair.

"I missed you." He whispered.

"I missed you too…so much. What were you doing out here?" I asked, looking around the garage.

"I need to change the oil in my car this week. I was just checking to see if I have any."

"You change your own oil?" I asked, pulling back to be able to look at him.

"I do."

"Mm…that's sexy." I said before I leaned in to peck his lips again.

"Glad you think so. Maybe I'll even invite you over to watch me do it."

"Most definitely"

He leaned forward to kiss me again but I turned my head and squirmed my way down from his arms until my feet were on the floor.

"Where are you going?" He asked, sounding offended.

"That was all of the time I can dedicate to a greeting with you. I missed Chelsea more." I said, not sure if I was completely joking. "Where is she?"

"Inside" He said, looking amused.

I turned and walked towards the door that led into the kitchen. Edward followed behind me, laughing softly.

"Hey, Chels!" Edward called as we walked inside. "Come see what I found out in the garage."

He slapped my ass as I walked through the kitchen towards the living room. I turned the corner just as Chelsea was climbing down off of the couch. As soon as she saw me her face lit up and I was pretty sure mind did too.

"BELLA!"

"Hey, you!" She ran over to me and I squatted down to her level so I could catch her in my arms.

"I missed you." She said as she wrapped her little arms around my neck.

"I missed you more." I answered, holding her tightly.

"Nuh uh"

"Yes I did."

"How do you know?"

"Because I missed you so much that it's impossible for you to have missed me more."

"Did you miss me more than you missed my Daddy?"

"Yes, I did." I answered quickly.

I looked up Edward who rolled his eyes but smiled back at me. To be honest, I couldn't decide who I had missed more. It was pretty damn equal so we'll just say I missed them both the same amount.

"Guess what I got to do today." Chelsea said as she pulled away from our hug.

"What did you get to do today? Besides be the cutest little girl ever, I mean."

"I went to the grocery store with Daddy and helped him by the food for you to cook."

"You did?" I asked, trying to sound impressed. "Did you make sure that he got everything on my list?"

"Yes."

"Good. Thank you for helping."

"You're welcome."

She smiled at me and then ran back into the living room to continue watching whatever was on T.V.

"Can I help you cook?" Edward asked.

"Sure, I'll give you an easy job that you can handle."

I was making chicken quesadillas for dinner so there actually wasn't much for him to do. He ended up just standing there most of the time while I cooked. Every time I would look over and catch him watching me with his perfect smile, I wanted to run over and snuggle into his arms and never leave. However, I had to retain self control or we would never eat.

"So you didn't do anything exciting while you were home?" He asked as he watched me flip the chicken.

"No, not really. It was nice to see my Dad but I was pretty much excruciatingly bored the entire time."

"Did you ever end up seeing your ex boyfriend?"

"No, that would have been even more excruciatingly boring…and awkward."

"So you don't ever talk to him?"

"Nope. why?"

"Just wondering"

I flipped the chicken again and then looked over at him.

"Would you be jealous if I did?"

"Probably" He answered quickly.

At least he was being honest.

"So are you the jealous type, then?" I asked.

"Not generally speaking but with you…probably"

"Fair enough" I said with a nod.

"Does that bother you?"

"No. And I have no room to talk anyway. I was about ready to throw down with your lesbian nurse friend last week just for referring to your sex hair."

He laughed and reached over to ruffle my hair.

"No offense, but she probably would have kicked your ass."

"I don't know, I might surprise you. I'm pretty passionate about that little piece of treasure you keep hidden in your pants. I'd put up a pretty good fight for it."

"_Little_ treasure?"

"Big, throbbing, huge, intimidating, beautiful treasure. Is that better?"

He laughed and folded his arms over his chest.

"Much better, thank you"

"You're welcome."

I took the pieces of chicken out of the pan and put them on a cutting board. After finding the appropriate size knife I went back to the cutting board and started slicing the chicken into strips. While I looked down to cut my hair kept falling into my face and it was starting to really piss me off.

"Can you do me a favor?" I asked Edward.

"Sure, what do you need?"

"Can you go get a hair tie out of my bag on the table and put my hair up for me? I have chicken all over my hands…"

"Yeah, sure"

I continued cutting as Edward rummaged around in my bag and then smiled as I heard his footsteps approaching me from behind. My smile widened when I felt his fingers comb through my hair, gathering it up into a ponytail.

"I love your hair…it's so soft."

"Thank you. It's not sex hair like yours, but I suppose it's decent."

He laughed as he wrapped the elastic hair tie around the ponytail he had made. When he released it, it fell down and the ends tickled the back of my neck.

Instead of stepping away once he was done, Edward stepped closer and wrapped his arms tightly around my waist from behind. His head dipped down to the side and his lips ghosted across my neck. After a few seconds of light contact, he started kissing my skin there. At first they were just pecks and then they were wet, lingering kisses.

I closed my eyes and put the knife down, worried that I was going to cut my finger off or something in my disoriented state. His lips felt so good and I had missed them so much all week.

I tilted my head to the side to give him better access to my neck and then he pushed the tip of his tongue out to touch my skin as he kissed it, making me whimper in response.

"Daddy? What are you doing?"

We both jumped when we heard Chelsea's voice from the entry way to the kitchen. Edward immediately let go of me and took a step back. I continued slicing the chicken, blushing furiously as I did so.

"I…uh…I was telling Bella a secret…so I had to whisper it in her ear."

"Oh."

Edward's excuse was lame, but if she bought it that's all that mattered.

"What was the secret?"

"If I told you then it wouldn't be a secret."

"I thought you said that secrets aren't nice, Daddy."

_Touché, little one._

"Fine. I was telling Bella how pretty she looks tonight."

"That's not a secret."

"You're right. It's not. Daddy was just being silly."

"You're weird, Daddy."

"You're right. I'm a big freak."

"Well I'm thirsty, big freak. Can I have some juice?"

I laughed so hard that I choked on air.

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"…And then Daddy tried to put together my doll house but he put the nail in the wrong place and then he tried to pull it back out with the hammer but he smashed his finger and then he said a bad word and then Grandma made him put ice on it and said that he should be more careful and after that I wanted to go to the park but Daddy told me it was too cold so I cried and then I got in trouble for whining and then we had hot chocolate and uncle Jasper was here and Daddy helped him fix his car but it was cold in the garage so I couldn't watch so I watched Rudolph with Grandma inside and then we watched frosty the snowman and I wanted to make a frosty but it didn't snow that day so I couldn't but we made gingerbread men instead and I got to decorate them and Daddy burned his tongue on one even though Grandma told him it was too hot and then Grandma went home and I got to play a game with Daddy and Uncle Jasper and then Uncle Jasper went home and I got to watch the little drummer boy with Daddy but it was boring so I fell asleep and I got to sleep in Daddy's room that night and I woke up in the morning and Daddy tried to make pancakes but he burned them and that made me miss you more."

"Wow. Well, it sounds like you had a very exciting day."

At dinner Chelsea insisted that she tell me every detail of her Christmas since I missed it. She rambled off her account of the whole day in one never ending run-on sentence. There were no pauses, no signs of punctuation, and from the sound of it…no breaths. It was just one long adorable slew of information.

"Well now that you're done recounting our Christmas, can you please eat some of your food?" Edward asked her with a smirk.

She picked up her quesadilla and started munching on it, bouncing up and down in her chair happily.

"So you burned your tongue on the gingerbread man, huh?" I teased Edward.

"It's not funny." He said although he was laughing. "It hurt."

"You poor thing" I said sarcastically.

"Don't be jealous that you didn't get any cookies, Bella." He shot back.

"Oh yeah, I'm so jealous that I missed out on cookies and your burnt pancakes."

"They weren't that bad. She's exaggerating."

"What does exagerbatating mean, Daddy?" Chelsea asked between bites of quesadilla.

"It means someone is stretching the truth. Like making something sound worse than it really was." He explained.

"I wasn't exagerbatating. They were yucky."

"See?" I said with a smirk. "She wasn't exagerbatating. You totally burned them."

"She just doesn't appreciate good cooking."

"Yes she does. She likes my food."

"I'm full." Chelsea announced as she put down the last part of her quesadilla.

She had eaten most of it so Edward didn't object.

"Bella, can I give you your present now?" She asked anxiously.

"If your Daddy is ready, sure"

She looked over at Edward with huge, pleading eyes. I don't know if she was more eager for me to give her the present I got her or for her to give me mine, but either way it was adorable.

"Sure, we can leave these dishes for later. I wouldn't want to put you off any longer and have you explode from excitement."

"Yes!" She hopped down off of her chair and ran into the living room.

"Shall we?" Edward asked, gesturing after her.

I smiled and stood up.

"We shall."

"I have to go get your gift out of my room."

"Alright, I'll go wait with the little one. I already have your gift on me."

He gave me a questioning look and looked me up and down as if he was expecting to find something.

"It's in my back pocket."

He looked back up at my face and raised his eyebrows at me.

"Just go get my gift." I said, laughing. "The sooner you go the sooner you'll find out what it is I got you."

He sighed overdramatically and then smiled and gave me a peck on the lips before leaving the room.

Edward's _actual_ gift wasn't really in my back pocket, but all he was going to get for now was.

Trying to decide what to get Edward Cullen for Christmas was one of the hardest fucking things I've ever done. First of all, I was on the budget of a college kid. Secondly, Edward already had everything that I thought about giving him. I was seriously starting to panic when I'd thought of the only decent idea I'd had.

A couple weeks before Christmas I was taking lunch to Evan, my gay friend, at his work. He worked at this really badass vintage shop downtown and every time I went to see him I always ended up looking around. On that particular day, they had this really awesome vintage foosball table. I loved foosball and Edward's billiard room just happened to have a nook in it just the perfect size for it.

Edward played pool all the time with Emmett and Jasper so I was sure he would get good use out of the foosball table as well. Maybe we would get lucky and Edward would actually be _good_ at foosball. We all knew he sucked at pool so I doubted he could be any worse at this.

The table was a little bit over my budget but lucky for me, I had connections. Evan was willing to let me use his employee discount, so I was able to get a huge chunk of the cost cut off.

So, since the table obviously wasn't going to fit in my little mustang, I brought a picture of it. I tried to arrange to have it delivered that day but unfortunately they wouldn't be able to deliver it here until next week.

I refilled my glass of water from dinner and took it with me as I made my way into the living room to sit with Chelsea and wait for Edward.

"_I_ know what my Daddy got you for Christmas, Bella."

"You do? Am I gonna like it?"

"Yes, I was there when he bought it."

"You better not be giving anything away, Chels." Edward said with a smile as he walked into the room.

I glanced down at Edward's hand as he walked toward us to see that he was holding a long, small, rectangular box. It was wrapped in red Christmas wrapping paper with a gold bow on top. In the other hand he had the gift that I had left for Chelsea.

He sat down next to me on the couch and Chelsea went to stand in front of him.

"Daddy, I want to give Bella my present first."

"Alright, well then why don't you go and get it?"

She skipped over to the end table next to the couch and opened up the drawer, pulling out a folded piece of paper. She then came back over to us, climbed up onto Edward's lap, and extended the paper to me. I took it from her and then she curled up against Edward's chest and watched me anxiously.

I looked down at the front of the folded card and smiled. It was obviously a picture but to be honest, I had no idea what it was of. There was a huge blob of green scribbles and then smaller yellow scribbles on top.

I glanced up at Edward who thankfully must have caught on to my cluelessness because he mouthed the words 'Christmas tree' to me.

Right! That's what it was. Good thing I was pretty good at reading lips because now that he'd told me what it was it was much easier to see that a Christmas tree was most definitely what she had been trying to draw.

"Wow, Chels. That's a beautiful Christmas tree." I said, looking up at her with a smile.

Her face lit up and she giggled.

"Look at the inside." She urged.

I opened up the card to find more scribbles on the left side and on the right I was surprised to see actual words. On the top of the page was written 'Merry Christmas, Bella. I love you' in surprisingly legible letters. At the bottom she had written her name much messier but still decipherable.

My mind was full of so many thoughts at once. I was having trouble sorting them all out.

First of all, I was so touched that she had included an 'I love you' in her card. It made my heart soar, because I loved her too. Who would have thought that this little girl would be able to capture my heart and wrap me around her little finger so quickly?

Secondly, I was remarkably impressed that she had written so much. I didn't even know that she _could_ write. Wasn't she a little young for that?"

"Did you write all of this yourself?" I asked, looking up at her.

I hadn't noticed until I spoke that my eyes were slightly watery.

"Well…Daddy helped me with the first part. I told him what I wanted it to say and he made dots for me to connect to make letters."

I glanced at Edward who seemed to be watching me intently.

"But I wrote my name all by myself. I just learned how."

I looked away from Edward and back at Chelsea who was smiling up at me from where she still sat on his lap. I leaned over to kiss the top of her head and when I did I felt Edward's fingers comb through my hair.

"Thank you so much, sweetie." I said as I pulled away. "Your card is beautiful and so sweet and I'm proud of you for learning how to write your name."

She smiled at me and then cuddled closer into Edward's chest as he smiled down at her.

"You're welcome." She said softly.

"Would you like to open your present now?" I asked her.

"Yes!" She said anxiously, sitting up straighter.

I grabbed my present from where Edward had set it down on the coffee table and handed it to her. She wasted no time ripping open the wrapping paper. Edward looked over her shoulder and watched curiously.

Once she had all of the paper off she ran her hand over the picture on the box and looked at it inquisitively.

"Is it a toy?" She asked.

"It's a game." I explained. "It's a board game."

I knew that I would probably have to explain it to her. She obviously couldn't read so she would only be going off of the pictures.

"It has a princess on it." She observed happily.

"Yeah, it's called _Pretty, Pretty Princess_. I used to play it all the time when I was little and I thought you might like it since you like princesses so much. It even comes with jewelry and a crown to dress up in."

Her eyes widened at the mention of a crown and she looked up from the box to look at me.

"It does?"

"Yup. The first person to get all of the jewelry and the crown and put them on wins the game."

She looked back down at the box and her eyes flitted over all of the pictures excitedly.

"Don't you have something to say?" Edward encouraged.

"Thank you, Bella." She said sweetly, looking up at me again. "Can we play it right now?"

"We're not done with presents yet, sweetie, you and Bella can play after I give her my gift."

"Well hurry up then, Daddy."

Edward and I both laughed and he raised his eyebrows at her. Chelsea remained on his lap, examining her new game, while he handed me the rectangular red gift.

"You better open this quickly." He said with a smirk.

I took the box from him and started to pull open the red wrapping paper. My heart skipped a beat when I caught my first glimpse at the blue velvety box underneath the paper. I would know that shade of blue anywhere. That was Tiffany box blue.

I suddenly felt hot. I knew that whatever was in that box was insanely expensive and would for sure out due what I had gotten him.

"Edward…" I said reproachfully.

"Just open it." He urged.

I took a deep breath, finished removing the wrapping paper, and hesitated a moment. When I finally did pop the box open, I gasped at what I saw. It was the Tiffany chain link heart pendant necklace that matched the bracelet my dad had given me for graduation.

"Edward…" I whispered, putting my hand over my heart.

I could barely even stand to look at it. Of course it was beautiful and of course I loved it but I couldn't accept it. I knew exactly how much money that Necklace had cost him and it was way more than I had wanted him to spend on me.

"I don't think she likes it, Daddy." Chelsea said.

She must have misunderstood the expression on my face.

"No!" I said quickly. "No, I love it." I said honestly, looking over at Edward who was watching me carefully.

"Well I noticed that you have the bracelet and you wear it a lot. So, I thought you might enjoy having the necklace to go with it." He said.

"It's beautiful, really. It's just...it's too much, Edward."

He sighed and shook his head.

"I was worried you would say that. Look, this is what I wanted to give you." He said sternly. "So suck it up." He added with a smirk.

I sighed and leaned over to kiss his cheek. There was no point in fighting him on it and I didn't want to be rude when he was being so generous.

"Thank you so much, Edward." I whispered against his cheek.

When I pulled away and saw how happy he looked it made it worth giving in to his ridiculous gift.

"You're welcome. Can I put it on you? I want to see how it looks."

I nodded, handed him the box, and then turned around so he could put the necklace on me. He put the chain around my neck and then I felt his hands fumble with the clasp behind me as he hooked it.

"There, got it." He announced when he was done.

I turned around to meet the eyes of a smiling Edward.

"Beautiful." He stated simply. "Just like you."

"Thank you." I mumbled.

"What do you think, Chels? Did Daddy do good?" Edward asked her.

"Yeah, it's pretty. But my present was better." She said matter-of-factly.

Edward laughed and kissed her cheek.

"I think you're right."

"_Now_ can we play my new game?" She asked anxiously.

"I have to give your Daddy his present first." I told her.

"This is taking too long." She complained with a huff.

"Chelsea, be patient sweetie." Edward told her.

"I have to go potty."

"Well then go potty and maybe by the time you come back we'll be done."

She slid the _Pretty, Pretty Princess_ box off of her lap and onto the couch at Edward's other side. Then she slid down off of his lap and started making her way towards the hall bathroom.

Once she was gone I looked down and bit my lip nervously. I wasn't as excited about my gift to him now that he had outdone me.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just…my gift isn't as nice as yours…"

"Bella, I'm gonna love anything you give me. Because it's from you….that's all I care about.

I nodded and then stood up so I could take the picture of the foosball table out of my back pocket. I sighed, sat back down, and handed it to him. He took the picture and looked at it with a smile.

"Did you get me a foosball table or a picture of one?"

I laughed a little and rolled my eyes.

"I got you the foosball table, asshole. I know it's not that great, and your gift is a lot better, but you're really hard to shop for. If you don't like it I can return it and get you something else instead…if you just tell me wh –"

He cut me off with a chaste kiss on the lips and then pulled away with a smile.

"I love it, honey. It was a fabulous idea. Thank you."

"You're welcome. I wanted to get it delivered today but they can't come until next week."

"That's alright."

Chelsea then came back into the room and back over to us.

"What did Bella give you?" She asked Edward.

He handed her the picture and she took it, looking at it curiously.

"What is it?" She asked.

"It's called a foosball table." He told her. "It's kind of like the pool table but a little different."

"Oh." She said, obviously not interested. "Can we play my game now?"

"Sure. You and Bella can play while I do the dishes from dinner."

"No, Daddy. You have to play with us."

Edward glanced down at the game and laughed.

"I don't think that's the kind of game that Daddies play, sweetie."

I hadn't bought the game with the thought of Edward playing with us in mind, but now that Chelsea had mentioned it…he had to. I burst out laughing just at the thought of Edward wearing the tiara and clip on earrings.

"No, Edward" I said through my laughter. "You have to play with us. It will be a blast, I promise."

He laughed louder and shook his head.

"I don't think I would make a very pretty princess."

"Yes you will, Daddy." Chelsea insisted.

He sighed and threw his hands up in surrender.

"Well, if my girls insist."

"Oh, we insist alright." I said, still giggling.

"You are so gonna pay for this later." He said, narrowing his eyes at me.

I stood up and then leaned over to kiss his cheek.

"Come on, it'll be fun."

The three of us sat in a circle on the floor and Chelsea squirmed around impatiently while I opened up the box and all of the pieces.

"I'm gonna win, Daddy." She told Edward while I started setting everything up, making us both laugh.

"Why are you singling me out to tell me that?" Edward said through his laughter. "Am I your biggest competition?"

"I don't know." She said, obviously not knowing what he meant.

"Where did you get such an attitude from?" He asked her.

"You." She said with a giggle.

"We're ready!" I announced once I was done setting everything up. "What color do you want to be, Chelsea?"

"Pink!"

I decided to be purple and I let Edward be blue since it was the manliest color.

"Okay, these are the rules." I started. "It's really easy. All of the jewelry pieces go in the jewelry box in the middle of the board. On your turn, you spin a number and move your piece however many spaces the spinner tells you to. The spaces will either say to take a certain piece of jewelry, put one back, take any piece, take the crown, or take the black ring. If you have the black ring at the end then you can't win until someone else has to take it from you. The first person to get the crown, all of the jewelry, and not have the black ring wins. If you win you have to pick up the mirror and say 'I'm a pretty, pretty princess!' got it?

"Oh God..." Edward mumbled.

I secretly hoped that he would win so I could hear him call himself a pretty, pretty princess.

"Can I go first?" Chelsea asked.

"Sure." I said, passing her the spinner.

She spun a two and landed on a necklace space. She took her pink necklace and put it over her head with a huge smile.

I went next and spun a four, the highest number you could get. I landed on a ring space so I took my purple ring. Since this game was designed for small children, the rings were small and I could only get it on my pinky.

Edward spun a three and landed on a take any piece space.

"What piece do you want?" I asked him.

"Hmm…" He said thoughtfully. "Let's go with the earrings, I think they'll look good on me."

I was glad to see that Edward was having fun with it and not taking it so seriously. Chelsea seemed to enjoy his playfulness too. She was giggling as Edward reached into the jewelry box.

He pulled out both clip-on earrings but I quickly snatched one of them back out of his hand.

"You only get one at a time, babe. Don't get greedy."

"Sorry." He said, laughing as I put the second blue earring back in the box.

Edward put the earring down on the floor in front of him but I was simply not having that.

"No, no, no mister. The directions clearly state that you have to _wear_ the jewelry." I said.

"You're seriously going to make me put it on?"

"You have to, Daddy." Chelsea insisted.

"Can't I just hold it?"

"Daddy, _pleaseeee_ put it on. You have to."

She looked up at him with a look that would have made anyone's heart melt.

"Edward, look at that face. How can you say no to that?"

"Great, you two are already teaming up against me."

He laughed, picked up the earring, and opened up the clip-on clasp. He started laughing louder as he lifted the earring to his ear and put it on.

"Do I look good, Chels?"

"You look beautiful, Daddy."

.

.

.

.

.

.

Chelsea ended up winning the _Pretty, Pretty_ _Princess_ game, but I still had fun seeing Edward decked out in jewelry. I even got to see him with the tiara on his head for a little while before Chelsea landed on the crown space and took it from him. She seemed to really enjoy the game and I was glad that I'd gotten it for her. It seemed like the perfect gift for her.

After the game Edward took her upstairs to put her in her pajamas and then he brought her back down to watch T.V. with us for a few minutes. She passed out after only ten minutes and was snoozing on Edward's lap with a blanket draped over her. I was curled up on the opposite side of the couch with a blanket of my own. I kept looking over at her sweet little face and smiling. She was just too damn cute for words.

While she slept, Edward and I found _Father of the Bride_ on T.V. and started watching it.

"Jealous?" Edward asked after noticing me look at her again.

"Jealous of what?"

"She's in your spot."

I laughed softly and shrugged.

"No. It was her spot first. If I'm jealous of anything right now it's the fact that she's on your lap and not mine."

"It's a nice change, though. I'm glad to know she hasn't _completely_ forsaken me for you."

"Do you think she needs another blanket? It's kind of cold in here."

"I'm sure she's fine."

I reached over and tucked her blanket around her tighter, just to be sure. I looked up curiously when I heard Edward laughing.

"What?"

"Nothing. I just love how much you love her."

"I really do…love her."

"I know you do."

I sighed contently and turned back to the T.V. to continue watching the movie. It was at a part where the father of the bride was complaining that his daughter was get married and leaving him and she wasn't going to be his little girl anymore.

"That's gonna be you one day." I said with a smile.

"What do you mean?"

"That's totally you. Chelsea is such a Daddy's girl. You're gonna be like that one day when she falls in love and gets married."

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not."

"So you're gonna be totally fine when some guy steals her away from you?"

"No. That's never going to happen. She's never getting married. I won't allow it."

I laughed but tried to stifle it in my blanket so I wouldn't wake up Chelsea.

"You think I'm joking, but I'm completely serious."

"Okay, Edward." I said with an eye roll.

"She really liked that game you bought her. That was a good gift idea."

"Well she was definitely easier to shop for than you were. I used to play that game with my mom all the time when I was little and I have such good memories of it. Plus, she loves princesses so it seemed perfect."

"It was. I probably would have already bought it for her myself but I'd never heard of it until tonight."

"Well apparently it's not as common as I thought. I called every store in town to see if they had it and in the end I had to drive like almost an hour and a half for it."

His head snapped over to look at me and he had a weird expression on his face.

"You drove over an hour to get that for her?" He asked.

"Yeah, but it really wasn't a big deal. I'm stubborn. I decided that I wanted to get it for her so I wasn't going to stop until I did." I said with a small laugh.

He looked at me in silence for so long that it became awkward, at least for me.

His face shifted from that weird expression to sort of impressed looking and then settled on a look that seemed thoughtful and contemplative.

"What?" I finally asked.

"Nothing." He said in a whisper. "I was just thinking."

He stood up suddenly, holding Chelsea in his arms, and looked over at me again.

"I'm gonna go put her in her bed. I'll be right back, okay?"

"Okay."

He looked at me for one second longer that what was natural and then turned and left the stairs.

_What the fuck was that? _

Was he mad about me driving so far to get that game? That wouldn't make very much sense, but that seemed to be what set him off into his weird staring at me thing.

I lifted my hand to push some hair out of my face and it brushed against my new necklace, reminding me that I was still wearing it. I sat up on the couch and reached behind my neck to undo the clasp so I could put it back in its box for safekeeping. I could hear Edward's footsteps coming down the stairs as I leaned forward to pick up the Tiffany's box and put my necklace inside.

I leaned back into the couch after putting the box back down and a moment later jumped in surprise. Instead of coming back in to sit next to me, Edward had come up behind the back of the couch and wrapped his arms around my neck from behind.

"Sorry…I didn't mean to scare you." He whispered into my ear.

His breath against my ear raised goosebumps on my skin and made me shiver.

"That's okay…"

What he whispered in my ear next ignited a heat between my legs.

"Come to bed with me, baby."

I closed my eyes and shivered again.

This wouldn't be the first time I'd been in his bed, but something about the tone in his voice gave me the feeling that this _would_ be the first time for something else.

When he placed a sensual and lingering kiss right below my ear, the feeling got stronger.

All I could do was nod.

His arms left my body and then he moved away from the couch, leaving me on the verge of a heart attack as I sat there alone. In the back of my mind I was aware of him turning off all of the lights in the room but the forefront of my thoughts were elsewhere.

I wanted to ask him if we were about to have sex, but that seemed awkward. Maybe I was just over-reacting. Sure he'd asked me to go to bed with him, but he could just be planning on oral as usual.

_But there was just something in his voice…_

"Bella? Are you coming?" He asked, shaking me out of my reverie of thoughts.

"Yeah…"

I stood up from the couch and went over to him. He kissed my head and then took my hand and led me down the dark hallway to his dark bedroom. As we walked into his room I was suddenly aware that a kind of had to pee. Now was definitely a better time than later.

"Um…I'm gonna use the bathroom real quick, okay?"

"Sure. But hurry back to me." He leaned in to kiss my forehead before releasing my hand.

I used the bathroom quickly, eager to get back to him, and on the way out I checked myself in the mirror. I fluffed my hair, adjusted my boobs in my bra, and then turned off the light and went back into the bedroom.

The room was now illuminated by the dim light of a lamp in the corner. The fact that Edward didn't have the T.V. on informed me that he definitely had _something_ physical in mind. Instead of watching T.V. he was on his bed with his back against the headboard. He was scrolling through his blackberry, probably looking at Emails.

I wasn't surprised to see that he had taken his jeans off and was now just in his T shirt and boxer briefs. Every time we got in his bed, even if it was just to watch a movie, we both took our pants off. It was just way more comfortable to be in our underwear instead of binding jeans.

I unbuttoned and unzipped my jeans and then slid them down my legs and took them off. Edward looked up from his phone then and smiled at me.

I folded my jeans, put them on a chair in the corner, and then went over to the bed. He put his phone down on the bedside table and then turned back to me and his opened his arms. I got up on the bed and then crawled over to him on my knees until I was straddling his lap. Once I was, I sat down on his thighs and leaned forward until our stomachs were flush and my head was on his chest. He was still in sort of a half sitting position and therefore so was I.

He put his hand on the small of back, underneath my shirt, and started rubbing up and down. Neither of us said anything, we just sat there in a comfortable silence for a long time. I closed my eyes and listened to his heartbeat while I matched the rhythm of my breathing to his. While his right hand continued to rub my back, his left hand played with my hair.

I breathed in the scent of him and was immediately flooded with desire. Edward smelled and felt like a man in all the right ways.

After a few more minutes of silence between us, the path of his hand on my back started to widen. He started to rub my skin both higher and lower, leaving a path of electricity in its wake. After another few more minutes his left hand abandoned my hair to join his right hand on my back.

His hands continued to dip lower and lower with each pass until they reached my ass. Each time they would dip down underneath the fabric of my panties, rub over my cheeks, and then glide back up again over my back and sides until he reached the clasp of my bra. Then he would rub back down and do it over again.

The fact that his hands were so big and warm only made the whole thing sexier.

The heat between my legs was growing, slowly but surely…and so was his erection. I could feel it stiffening underneath my center.

After a few minutes of that his hands started squeezing my ass with each pass, pulling me more tightly against him and creating wonderful friction. Before I knew it his hands remained still and firmly planted on my cheeks, holding my center against his.

Suddenly, I decided that his shirt separating me from him was unacceptable. I sat up straight so I could look at him and give him room to remove it.

"Take you shirt off…" I said as I started to push it up.

He sat up just enough to pull it off and then tossed it on the floor and sat back into the pillows against the headboard again. I leaned forward against him again but this time instead of turning my head and resting my cheek against his skin, I started kissing across his chest. He watched me and brushed the stray pieces of hair out of my face. I could hear his breathing becoming uneven and feel his erection grow harder.

"You are so beautiful…" He whispered.

He started pulling my shirt up my stomach so I pulled away from him so he could lift it off, which he did in one swift movement. Once my shirt was relocated to somewhere on the floor, he lifted his hands again to pop open the clasp of my bra. His eyes burned into mine as he did so and hypnotized me. I couldn't have looked away if I wanted to.

Before he even had my bra all the way off, he was already rolling me over so I was lying on my back. He moved to hover over me and slid down my body so that he could suck my nipple into his mouth the second that my bra was gone. I moaned at the sensation that his hot mouth sent coursing through my veins.

He nudged my legs apart with his knee and settled himself between them as he sucked at my nipple fiercely. I looked down at his lips wrapped around it and the sight alone made me moan again.

While his mouth continued its delicious assault, his hand reached up to squeeze my other breast, eliciting an embarrassingly high-pitched whimper from me. What he was doing felt so unbearably good, and still…I needed _more._

I put my hand over his on my breast and pushed it against me as hard as I could, urging him to squeeze harder. He moaned in response and I was not prepared for the way it would feel with my nipple in his mouth.

_Aaannnddddd…cue the waterworks in my panties_.

At this point all I could think was that Edward better sure as shit be planning on fucking me. Because the simple truth was that nothing else was going to satisfy me. I didn't just want him, I _needed_ him. I could not walk away from this bed until I had him.

I'd been with guys before, Jake and Mike, but I'd never felt this kind of passion and desire before. Everything I had ever done physically with them was more about feeling it was expected of me. I let them touch me because; well…that's what boyfriends and girlfriends do right? But with Edward it was so different. I knew he didn't expect anything from me but I so desperately wanted him to take it.

"Edward…" I moaned. "I need you…" I whined desperately.

He moaned again against my breast and then released it so he could speak.

"Don't worry, baby." He panted. "You're gonna get me…you're gonna get all of me."

He dipped his head down again but this time it was to suck on the skin of my neck. While he did that his right hand remained on that nipple. He pulled, pinched, and rubbed it. It was driving me insane. Both nipples would probably be sore tomorrow but I didn't mind one bit.

I moaned once again as he sucked on my neck roughly, probably giving me hickey.

When his right hand released my nipple I made an involuntary whining sound at the loss, making him laugh softly. I was about to be greeted with an even better feeling, however, that totally made up for it.

He put his hand on my hip, holding me steady, and ground himself into me. He was so hard by this point that I could feel so much of him, even through his boxers. I moaned loudly and immediately started to grind myself right back into him, eagerly searching out more of him. He lifted his head from my neck and brought it up to rest his forehead against mine as we started grinding against each other rhythmically.

When he looked into my eyes, the whole world melted away. It was just me and him. The lust that I saw in his face shot straight down between my legs and erupted in fire.

"Do I need to put on a condom?" He asked in a whisper.

When he asked me if he needed a condom it made the whole thing more real. This was really happening. I was really about to have sex with Edward. And I knew without the shadow of a doubt that it was going to be amazing.

"No." I said, surprised by how desperate my voice sounded. "I'm on the pill."

He nodded and ground himself against me again with a moan.

"Are you ready for me?" He asked breathlessly.

"I'm more ready than you'll ever know." I panted.

"Well in that case…I need to get inside of you as soon as possible."

"You locked the door, right?"

"Yeah"

He started shuffling around awkwardly as he tried to get his boxers off without getting up and I laughed, running my fingers through his hair as I watched him. Once his boxers were gone he started to pull my panties down and then I kicked them off the rest of the way. Once we were both free from our underwear he returned his forehead to its place against mine, smiling at me lovingly.

"Can I ask you something?" I asked.

"Anything" He answered without hesitation.

"What made you decided that tonight of all nights we were ready? It just seems kind of random…" I said as I played with the hair at the back of his neck. "…not that I'm complaining." I added quickly.

"Chelsea."

I raised my eyebrows at him.

"Chelsea told you we were ready?"

"No, watching you with Chelsea all night made me decide we were ready. I watched you with her all night and how happy you make her…and how happy _she_ makes _you. _And then when you said you drove so far just to get her a board game for Christmas…I saw how dedicated you are to her. I know that you love her and I want you in her life. Period. Permanently."

Tears welled up in my eyes at the thought of being in Chelsea and Edward's lives forever.

"Do you really mean that?"

"Mhmm. I know that even if God forbid something happened between you and I, which I hope it never does, you would still be there for Chelsea. You don't know how much peace it gives me to know that she has you."

"She's not the only one that has me. You have me too." I whispered.

"And for that I will be forever grateful, Bella."

He touched his lips to mine and slowly slid his tongue into my mouth as he kissed me. We made out heatedly until his hand snaked down between us guided the head of his erection to rub against my clit. When he did that I had to pull away from his lips to moan and then pant for air.

"Mm…you are so wet…" He said breathlessly.

"For you…always…" I answered.

He slipped his dick lower and teased me, pushing just the tip in and then pulling it back out.

"Ughh…" I moaned in response.

He pushed himself back inside me again, going just a little bit further before once again withdrawing.

"Fuck yeah…baby you're tight." He said after a grunt.

"Edward, please…I want more."

He pushed in again and he although he didn't stop this time, he moved at an excruciatingly slow pace. I put my hands on his lower back and desperately tried to pull him closer, deeper inside me. My nails dug into the skin on his back so hard that I was probably breaking skin but I just couldn't find it in me to care…until he winced.

"Easy, babe…"

"Then stop going so slow." I said as I released my death grip on his back.

He pushed the rest of himself into me in one smooth stroke, looking into my eyes as he did, and we both moaned loudly.

"You're so big…" I said in a half moan.

I felt so full and stretched by him, but in a good way.

"Am I hurting you?"

"No…no, you're perfect."

If he were any bigger it probably would have hurt, but he was just the perfect size to give me maximum pleasure.

He reached down and grabbed one of my calves and then pulled it pushed up so that my knee was bent. Then he grabbed the other leg and wrapped it around his waist. I was glad that he was taking the lead and establishing our position because even though I'd had sex before, it was never good and I had no idea what I was doing.

Edward held eye contact with me as he starting thrusting and it was the most magical thing I'd ever experienced. I felt like we were connected on every level, not just physically. The sex that I'd experienced before seemed all wrong compared to this. With Jake and Mike both all I did was lay there, letting them get off on me. I was just a hole to fuck. With Edward it was the opposite. I was his entire focus.

His movements were slow and gentle…and perfect. I couldn't take my eyes off of his face and he didn't take his off of mine. He used one of his arms to hold his weight off of me and with the other hand he stroked my hair. He only broke eye contact to kiss my cheeks and my forehead.

I wanted this to last forever.

"Move down a little bit so I can tilt your hips up a little, honey." He said through his heavy breathing.

Of course I obeyed without question. I moved down a little further on the bed with his help and then he lifted my legs up a little to raise my hips. He seemed to enjoy this angle more because his moaning increased in volume and frequency.

"Edward…" I moaned.

Seeing him in so much pleasure was turning me on so much more.

"Tell me where, baby."

I didn't know what he was asking so I just didn't answer. He started thrusting a little more upwards and a little faster. All I kept thinking was that I wanted _more_. He spread my legs apart further but quickly pulled them back in again. I guess he decided it felt better that way. Again, I wanted more. I felt like what I wanted was right in front of me, but out of my reach.

_More, more, more_

And then he delivered.

He moved down on the bed and lifted my legs higher so that he was thrusting more up than forward. He was at a new angle and was repeatedly rubbing against something positively euphoric.

I hadn't realized he had been searching for something until he found it.

I gasped and then it faded into a long moan. I closed my eyes and lifted my hands to grasp at his shoulders.

"Yeah? Right there?" he asked.

I couldn't even find the will to answer. I was drowning in white hot pure pleasure. All I could think of was how good Edward was making me feel. I'd never known pleasure like this. I thought it couldn't get any better than the first night he went down on me, but this was better. This was indescribable.

"Hmm? Is that the spot, baby?"

"Yes." I choked.

"Open your eyes for me, my pretty girl."

I forced my eyes open but my lids refused to budge any further than half way. I could practically feel the lust pouring out of them as I met Edward's fierce gaze.

And then he was a man with a mission. He remained in that exact position and started thrusting faster, harder, and deeper.

I went crazy. I couldn't even handle the pleasure that was rushing through my veins.

"UGH!...Edward…oh my God oh my God…"

My moaning seemed to egg him on because the more I did it the harder he thrust. I could hear his moaning and grunting too but it was all in the background. The only thing in the front of my mind was how good I felt.

"AHH!...Edward…baby…yes…UGH! UNH!"

"Shh, baby, shh…" Edward shushed me. I was surprised by how shaky his voice was.

I had to try and force myself to shut the fuck up because he was right. I needed to be quiet because of the sweet little angel sleeping upstairs. If she heard the noises I was making right now she would surely be terrified.

"Oh my God, Bella…oh…honey…I'm gonna come…"

Just hearing Edward say he was about to come pushed me right over the edge. Without any warning, the building pressure in my stomach erupted. Like a balloon, the ball of fire popped and everything inside bounded off in every direction to fill every ounce of my body. Both heat and ice coursed through my veins at the same time. I could feel something hot, which must have been Edward, fill me…but I was only faintly aware of it. I was staring right into Edward's eyes but my thoughts were completely absorbed by what was happening inside my body.

As I started to come down from my orgasm I reached up to cup the sides of Edward's face, and only then was aware that I was shaking.

Would this man ever stop amazing me?

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**A/N**

**Okay, listen…you guys got the longest chapter to this story so far AND the big lemon…so I want tons and tons of reviews! REVIEWS FROM EVERYONE! I was hoping that I would make 500 with last chapter but I didn't…we were close though!**

**A couple things…**

**For those who asked, Tanya may or may not show up later. I haven't decided. **

**New Years is next chapter and it seems like most people want them to stay in so that is most likely what will happen.**

**Someone asked why I named Edward's daughter Chelsea and the answer is simply because I like the name. I think it was the same person who also commented that they were moving really quickly…well I think they're moving at just the right pace :)**

**Also…**

******This story was mentioned on a really awesome Robsten blog. You guys should check it out. Go to www (dot) robstenworldonline (dot) blogspot (dot) com******

**Okay I'll leave you alone so you can go review :)**

**Jenna**

**P.S. did anyone need the extra panties?**


	16. New Years Part 1

_**EDIT: I JUST GOT A BUNCH OF MESSAGES INFORMING ME THAT NOBODY WHO REVIEWED THE A/N WAS ABLE TO REVIEW CHAPTER 16. IT WAS MY MISTAKE SO I AM ADDING THIS AS A NEW CHAPTER. YOU SHOULD ALL BE ABLE TO REVIEW NOW. THANKS FOR LETTING ME KNOW!**_

**This IS indeed an update but I have a long author's note first so bear with me.**

**I'm sorry for another rant but I JUST HAVE TO RESPOND TO HOW AMAZING YOU ALL ARE. **

**And I have another announcement. **

***Deep breath***

**Thank you all for your unbelievably kind words in the midst of my angry meltdown the other night. (If you don't know what I'm talking about I posted an angry review response that has since been taken down.) Some of you guys said such incredibly sweet things that my emotionally deranged pregnant ass literally TEARED UP. I had SO MANY people respond to that A/N with pure words of kindness and encouragement. It was overwhelming and deeply appreciated. You all made me feel so much better and I can now say…fuck the haters. I was so touched by the number of people who took the time to respond and try to comfort me. It really did help. **

**If you read the original A/N I posted you know that I at first changed Edward's age to 34. I then decided that I really wasn't comfortable with that so I lowered it back down to 30 instead and rewrote part of chapter 4 to explain his success at such a young age. The original purpose in upping his age to 34 was to provide realistic reason as to how he became so wealthy and successful and had time to complete his residency as a doctor. I didn't want QUIETE that large of an age gap, however, so I decided to instead go back to chapter 4 and add a short mention of the fact that Edward graduated high school early. I know it's a minor change but it would bug me until I made it because I want this story to be as realistic as possible. So, the final age of Edward is 30 years old. **

**I hope all of my regular and loved followers are okay with the minor change in Edward's age and background. I didn't really want to have to change something about my story after it was already written, but I needed to in order for the story to be more realistic…I just knew it was going to bug me until I changed it. **

**I was VERY tempted to change my settings and no longer allow anonymous reviews, but I just couldn't do that and prevent some of my favorite followers without accounts from reviewing.**

**However…I WOULD like to say…whoever has been reviewing anonymously under the names 'discrepancies' and 'michelle' will you do me a favor and just stop reading my story? I have enough amazing reviewers without adding your bad attitude to the mix. I don't know if you are trying to come off as 'constructive' or what, but you're just coming off as rude and petty. I did go back and change a little bit of Edward's story in chapter 4, but please don't misunderstand and think that it had ANYTHING to do with you. I have no problem with **_**constructive**_** criticism, but I do have a problem with bashing. You obviously have nothing positive to say about my story at all and really don't like it so please don't waste your time reading and reviewing. Like I said, I'm not sure what you are trying to accomplish with your reviews…but they just put me in a bad mood.**

**For all of you who were concerned…although the mean reviewers were disheartening, I **_**do**_** intend to finish this story. It wouldn't be fair to all of you to stop.**

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**CHAPTER 16**

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**EPOV**

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As I lay and basked in the afterglow of the best sex of my life, I held a half asleep Bella in my arms. She was curled up into my side with her arm draped over my stomach and her head on my chest. I was wide awake, trying to fathom how I had become such a lucky man in such a short amount of time. Just when I was starting to accept my loneliness, a miracle walks into my life in the form of Bella.

I was more than happy that I had decided to wait until it felt right to have sex with her. As soon as I realized how devoted she was to Chelsea, and me, I knew that I was ready to give myself to her. I'd wanted to wait until I could completely open up to her: mind, body, heart, and soul.

And I did.

I waited until the moment that I felt like it would be absolutely perfect.

And it was.

It's a generalized idea that men want nothing to do with a clingy woman, and I have always felt that I hold true to that statement…but Bella seemed to be an exception. She wasn't usually the needy type but right after sex Bella clung to me like I was the last standing tree in a fucking tornado…and I loved it. At first I thought that maybe it was just after our first time together but after two more rounds with the same reaction from her, I started to sense a pattern.

She was reluctant to even let me out of her arms to go to the bathroom, and I found it adorable. She apologized for being all over me and said she didn't know what her problem was, but I assured her that I didn't mind one bit. She told me that she had never been this was way before and that only made me love the whole thing that much more. She was being clingy because she needed _me_. She wanted _me_.

"I can't fall asleep…" Bella mumbled against my chest. "I need to get going."

I ran my fingertips up her bare back and she shivered.

"Don't go." I whispered.

"I have to. I don't want to fall asleep here and then be in your bed when Chelsea wakes up. It will confuse her…she's never seen someone else sleep in your bed."

As much as I wanted her to stay and never let go of her, I knew that she was right. My daughter had to come first and she wouldn't understand why Bella was here in the morning. Before a sleepover could happen I would have to think of a way to explain it to Chelsea first.

Bella made a small 'mm' sound and snuggled in closer against me. I tightened my arm around her in response.

"I just can't get close enough to you…" she whispered.

"Feel free to keep trying." I answered with a smile.

"I intend to."

She rolled so that she was on top of me, our torsos flush and our legs tangled together. We lay there for a little while without talking, but it felt totally comfortable. Her naked breasts pressed against my chest and her hair splayed out over my neck and shoulders felt incredible. It felt good just to hold her.

"So," I started a few minutes later. "Did you decide whether you want to stay in or go out for New Years?"

"Well…did you find a babysitter?"

"Yeah, one of the girls next door said she was free."

"Wow, on New Years? That's surprising."

"Yeah, that's what I thought too. But she's only fifteen and her parents don't let them stay out until midnight until sixteen. So she said there was no point in her going to a New Years party anyway."

I normally used the older sister when I asked one of my neighbors to babysit, but the older sister wasn't free this time. I probably should have just asked my mom, but I was a stubborn man. I didn't want to ask her to babysit while I went out with Bella and then have to listen to her snide remarks about it.

"Oh. Well I don't mind either way. We can do whatever you want."

"I think we should go." I said after a moment of thought.

I felt like New Years was one of those times when you should go out as a couple, and I hadn't done that since Chelsea was born. In fact, I'd spent every New Years alone since my daughter's birth. Even when she was sixth months old and her mother was still around for the time being, Tanya went out without me. So the idea of doing something so simple that normal couples do every year was very appealing to me. I'd been lonely for too long and now that I'd found Bella, I didn't want to miss out on anything with her.

"Okay" She said softly.

"Unless you don't want to" I added, wanting to make sure she had a say in our plans.

"No, I do. I want to do whatever you want to do. I just want to be together."

"Me too" I said before kissing her head.

"So what are your plans for tomorrow? Or I guess I should say today since its past midnight…"

"I have to work all day tomorrow and through Friday morning." I told her.

She ran her hand down my arm until she reached my hand and then she laced her fingers through mine.

"Are you sure you won't be too tired then to go out Friday night?" She asked.

"No, I'll be fine. I'll come home and sleep first."

"So I won't get to see you until then, I guess." She said, sounding pouty.

I laughed and combed my fingers through the ends of her hair.

"It's like a day and a half…I think we will survive." I assured her.

"I suppose."

She yawned and then moved to sit up, but I tightened my arms around her so she couldn't move.

"Where are you going?"

"Home. I'm getting tired and I don't want to fall asleep here."

I sighed and released her from my arms so she could get up. She grabbed her clothes and went off to the bathroom. I turned my head against my pillow and took a deep breath, a smile appearing on my face. I would certainly get good night's sleep with Bella's scent all over my sheets.

When Bella reappeared from the bathroom I got up and threw on some clothes so I could walk her outside. We exited the dark house quietly and then made our way down the driveway to her car.

I didn't like that Bella had to leave, especially after our first time having sex. If I had it my way she would have slept in my arms all night long.

"What's wrong?" She asked from where she stood in front of her car.

My face must have conveyed my feelings.

"Nothing. I just don't like it that you can't stay. I don't want you to feel cheap or used or anything for having to leave…after what we did tonight."

She smiled at me and took a step closer so she could wrap her arms around my neck.

"I don't feel cheap or used. I know that you would love for me to stay if I could. But we both have to think about Chelsea before ourselves."

I smiled and kissed her lips chastely. It still amazed me how responsible she was for her age.

"Will you text me when you get home so I know you made it okay?"

It was almost two O'clock in the morning and I didn't like the thought of her being out by herself.

"Yeah, sure"

We shared a few more kisses before she got into her car and drove home, taking part of my heart with her.

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**BPOV**

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You know how when you're insanely bored and you feel like an hour has gone by, but then you look at the clock and it's only been five minutes? Yeah, that was my Thursday.

I was still on winter break from school so I had no classes to go to or studying to do. Edward was at work all day and so was Rosalie. Evan was out of town and Alice was gone with her parents all day for her mom's birthday.

I never really got bored when school was in session, but this winter break I had been bored _a lot. _Edward worked a lot and although he spent most of his free time with me, I still had all of those hours and days to spend alone while he couldn't be with me.

I didn't have a job because I took a lot of hours at school and I had a college fund saved up to live off of. So, when I didn't have school, I was extremely bored.

After work Rosalie went straight to a birthday dinner for one of her friends. They went out to the bar afterwards and she didn't get home until after I went to bed, so I didn't see her at all that day.

She wasn't there when I woke up on Friday either.

I ate breakfast by myself, called my mom, did all of my accumulated laundry, cleaned the kitchen, vacuumed the apartment, and even had time to watch _Titanic_ in its entirety.

Edward and I made plans to go to dinner and then come back to my apartment for Rose's party. He was supposed to pick me up at seven so at five thirty I decided I could go ahead and get ready. I knew it wouldn't take me quiet that long, but I was bored and needed something to do.

Because it was New Years, I knew that tonight's wardrobe would call for something a little more flashy than usual. I went into my closet to scan through my options and ended up making my choice pretty quickly. I decided on some tight dark washed jeans with a sequined tank top. I added some color with some hot pink heels and because I knew it would be cold, I picked out a leather jacket to go over it.

Since I had so much time, I spent more than usual doing my makeup. When I was done with that I decided to curl my hair.

I was just finishing up when I heard the front door open. I hadn't seen Rosalie in a while so I went out into the living room to greet her. When I turned the corner into the room she was hauling in plastic bags while kicking the door shut behind her with her foot.

"What's all of this?" I asked, going over to help her.

"Decorations for the party" She answered.

I took some of the bags from her and we went to go put them down on the kitchen table.

"Look at you…all sexed up. You look hot." She said, turning to look at me after putting her bags down.

"Thanks, I figured I had a reason tonight to be flashy."

"Most definitely. Do you want to help me decorate?" She asked.

"Well Edward is supposed to pick me up in like forty five minutes for dinner but I'll help you until he gets here."

"You guys are coming back here after you eat, right?" She asked as she pulled some rolls of silver streamers out of a bag.

"Yeah, of course"

She handed me a roll and then started unwrapping one of her own.

"Let's hang these up in this archway that leads to the kitchen." She said.

I put my roll down on the table and went to go retrieve some scissors and tape.

We hung up streamers, put confetti on the table and countertops, and hung up 'Happy New Year' signs. The place was looking good.

While we started hanging up streamers in the hallway to the bathroom, I decided to let her in on the exciting new development in my relationship with Edward.

"So…" I started as I cut streamers from the roll and handed them to her. "I finally had sex with Edward."

"No shit!" She asked excitedly. "That's great, Bella. Congratulations!"

"Thank you." I said with a giddy smile.

"Was he as good of a lay as you thought he'd be?"

"Well I haven't had a whole lot of experience…but he was amazing. I knew it would be good, but it was even better than I thought it'd be."

"So he got you off, then?"

I rolled my eyes and laughed a little. I swear Rosalie has the mind of a guy.

"Yes, he got me off…more than once."

"Good for you. I'm glad he stopped being a pussy and went through with it."

"He wasn't being a pussy. He was just waiting for the right moment. And even though I complained about it, I'm glad he did. It was absolutely perfect. He was so sweet and loving…I felt so connected to him. It felt like everything else in the world just melted away and all I could even comprehend was just the two of us. And the way he looked at me…I can't even describe it."

She paused in her movement of taping up a streamer to turn and look at me. She stared at me for a moment with an uneasy look on her face and then turned back to continue what she was doing.

"What?" I asked, wanting to know the reason for her weird look.

"Nothing"

"Come on Rose, I know you. You don't give looks like that for no reason. What is it that you want to say but you're not?"

"Well, I just…"

"You just what?" I asked, urging her to continue.

She sighed and turned back to me.

"I just don't want you to get so wrapped up in all of this emotionally…and I can tell that you are."

"What do you mean? What's wrong with being emotional about it?"

"Well…it's sex, Bella. It's not writing wedding vows."

"You're right, it is sex. But that's not all. He's not some one night stand. Just because its sex doesn't mean that there are no feelings behind it, Rose."

"I know that you have feelings for him, I just wish you would chill out a little bit about them."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Well it's not like you're going to marry him, Bella. I just don't think you should be getting so invested in something only to set yourself up for heartbreak."

"Who says I'm setting myself up for heartbreak?"

She was starting to really irritate me. Who was she to say that my relationship had no future?

"Um…the laws of dating? No man is capable of a serious and long term commitment. They all have a one track mind…they all want one thing."

"Like you."

"Excuse me?"

"You don't even know Edward, Rose. Who are you to tell me what he is or is not capable of in a relationship?"

"Because he's a man, and I know men. I guarantee you he's just like any other guy, Bella. He'll take whatever it is you're willing to give him until he's ready to move on to the next thing."

"Oh, really? He was single for _four years_ before he started dating me, Rose. Four years, and that's all I am? Just the next thing? If that's the case then why did he wait so long? Huh?"

"Just because he was single for four years doesn't mean that he wasn't getting any ass, Bella."

"As a matter of fact he _wasn't_ getting any ass. And you would know that if you actually knew him…but you don't. So stop acting like you do."

"I know what I'm talking about here, Bella."

"No you don't. You know nothing about relationships, Rosalie."

"Look, you don't need to get so defensive. I'm just trying to help you out."

"No you're not. You're trying to sabotage my relationship because you're jealous."

"Jealous of _what_, Bella?"

By this point I was fuming. She didn't even know Edward. I was not about to stand here and let her talk shit about our relationship without defending it.

"Umm…I don't know. The fact that you can't keep your legs closed maybe?"

"_Excuse_ me? You're eighteen years old. Do you really thing he's interested in something serious with you?"

"Yes. No, actually, I _know _that he is."

"Well then don't come crying to me when he dumps you."

I couldn't believe the way she was acting. Weren't friends supposed to be supportive of your relationships? Instead, she was slapping an expiration on mine.

I dropped the scissors and role of streamers I was holding and stormed back out into the living room. Without even thinking about it, I grabbed my keys and my bag, pulled my jacket on, and then stormed over to the front door.

"You know what?" I asked in a raised voice as I turned back to look at Rosalie who was now standing in the middle of the living room, watching me. "You may think you know what you're talking about, but I would _never_ take relationship advice from someone who is fucking a _married _man, Rosalie."

I was tempted to tell her that I knew about Emmett and that she shouldn't be sleeping around like that, but I couldn't reveal that Edward had told me.

So I didn't say anything else. I turned around and left the apartment along with a furious looking Rosalie. I slammed the door behind me and then raced down the stairs to the parking lot. I got into my car, threw my bag into the passenger seat, and slammed my door. As I started my car I pulled out my phone and dialed Edward.

"Hello?"

"Have you left yet to come get me?" I asked. My voice still sounded cold.

"No. The babysitter just got here. Why, what's wrong?"

"Well don't leave. I'm on my way over."

"What's going on, Bella?" He asked, sounding concerned.

"I just…I'll just tell you about it when I get there, okay?"

"Okay but can you please just tell me if you're alright?"

"I'm fine. I'll see you in a few minutes."

"Okay."

I hung up and tossed my phone back into my bag.

By the time I got to Edward's house, I was crying. And I didn't even know why. I shouldn't have let Rosalie's ridiculous comments get to me so much, but it hurt. She was my best friend and I trusted her. I didn't understand how she could say those things to me and be so cold. Surely she didn't really think those things. She didn't even know Edward. How could she have formed such a horrible opinion of him?

I parked in the driveway behind Edward's car and then went in through the door in the garage that led into the kitchen. I felt like such a mess when I walked into the house. I just needed to sit down.

I walked over to the table, a sniffling hot mess, and but my bag down before plopping down in one of the chairs.

A moment later, Edward came into the room after probably hearing me come in. My vision was blurred by tears but I could still make out the panicked look on his face. He hurried over to me and knelt down in front of where I sat. He lifted his hands to my face and quickly started wiping at my tears.

"Baby, what's wrong?"

I sniffled furiously and tried to catch my breath so I could answer him.

"R-r-r-r-ose-a-al-l-l-ie and I-I-I-I…W-w-w-we gotinahugefight"

"What? Bella, calm down…I can't understand you."

I took a few deep and shaky breaths, trying to regain my composure. When I finally felt I could talk, I spoke slowly as I tried to focus on holding the tears back.

"Rosalie and I got in a huge fight."

He let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Thank God."

"W-w-what?" I asked, confused as to why this was good news to him.

"I just assumed it was something really bad when I saw how upset you are. I'm sorry that you're fighting with your friend, but I'm just glad that nobody is hurt."

I nodded and threw myself at him, locking my arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around me and turned his head to kiss my temple and then stood up, lifting me off of the chair and into his arms. I wrapped my legs around his waist instinctively.

He carried me over to the kitchen counter and sat me down before walking away to go get a box tissues. He came back over, put the box down next me, and then positioned himself standing between my legs.

"If it's any consolation…you look beautiful."

That only brought on a fresh wave of tears.

"N-n-no I don't! M-my makeup is all r-r-ruined now!"

He grabbed a tissue and started wiping at my tears.

"Shh…" He soothed. "Stop crying so we can fix it, then."

I took a few uneven breaths, trying to get a hold of myself. I was embarrassed for him to see me like this.

"Now that I've said it out loud it seems stupid that I'm so upset over a stupid fight with Rosalie…" I said with another sniffle.

"I'm assuming this means that we're not going to her party?"

I shook my head sadly. I'd ruined our night out.

"No." I mumbled.

"Well the babysitter is already here and we still have our reservation. We can still go to dinner if you want. Then you can tell me what happened while we eat."

"I can't go to dinner, Edward. Look at me. I'm a mess."

"Well let's go get you cleaned up, then."

I hopped down off of the counter and he took my hand. He led me out of the kitchen and down the hall towards his room.

"Where's Chelsea?"

"She's up in her room showing the babysitter how to play _Pretty, Pretty Princess_."

Even though I was pissed off and sad, I had to smile at that.

We went into Edward's room and when we entered his bathroom I turned to look at myself in the mirror. I grimaced at what I saw. My eyes were puffy, my skin was blotchy, and I had black smeared under my eyes from my mascara.

"I look hideous."

"No you don't."

"Do you have any q-tips?"

He rummaged around under his sink and then pulled out a pack of q-tips and handed it to me.

"Thanks…" I mumbled.

I took one out, ran it under some water, and started to dab at the black under my eyes.

I caught Edward's reflection next to me in the mirror and smiled. I'd been so upset and directed earlier that I hadn't realized how good he looked. He had on dark jeans and a deep burgundy colored dress shirt.

"You look handsome." I told him.

"Thank you. I tried to look sexy for my sexy girlfriend." He said with a smirk.

"You always look sexy." I said matter-of-factly.

It was just a simple fact.

"Thank you."

I continued to clean my face up as best I could. My breathing had finally settled back to normal. It was amazing how just simply being around Edward seemed to calm me down significantly.

"Edward?" I asked after a few moments of silence.

"Hmm?"

He was leaning back against the wall behind me with his arms folded over his chest. I could see in the mirror that he was looking at me.

"Is it okay if I stay here tonight? I can sleep in the guest room. I just don't want to have to go back to my apartment tonight."

"Yeah, of course…but you're not sleeping in the guest room."

"What about Chelsea?"

"I'll think of something to tell her."

"Okay."

"We'll swing by your apartment after dinner and get some of your stuff. You don't even have to go in if you don't want to. I can do it."

"Alright"

By that point I was pretty sure I'd done everything I could with my face, so I threw my last q-tip away and then turned around to face him. He smiled at me and then came over and put his arms around me in a big hug.

"Let's go upstairs and tell the babysitter our change in plans…"

"Okay." I mumbled against his chest.

He slipped his fingers through mine and then led me out of the bathroom, out of his bedroom, and then through the house and up the stairs. We entered Chelsea's room to find her on the floor across from her babysitter with _Pretty, Pretty Princess_ set up between them. She appeared to still be explaining the rules to her. As soon as she heard us come in she turned to look at us and flashed me a huge smile.

"BELLA!" She leaped up, abandoning the game, and ran over to me.

I bent over to pick her up and pull her up into my arms.

"Hey, sweetie"

She gave me a kiss and then pulled back to look at me, putting both of her little hands on my cheeks.

"You look pretty."

I laughed and little but smiled at her. I was pretty sure I still looked like a mess.

"Thank you."

"Angela, this is my girlfriend Bella. Bella, this is Angela." Edward said.

Angela stood up so I went over to her, still holding Chelsea, and shook her hand.

"It's nice to meet you." I said.

"You too…I really like your shoes." She said in a quiet voice.

"Thank you." I said with a smile.

"Angela, Bella and I have made a small change of plans. We're just going to go to dinner and then come back here. So we won't be out late."

"Oh, okay." She answered.

"Does that mean you're going to come back before I have to go to sleep?" Chelsea asked.

"Yeah, we'll be back to tuck you in."

"Good."

"And you know what else?" Edward added. "Bella said that she's going to make us breakfast tomorrow morning." He said, smirking at me.

That was fine with me. Making breakfast was a perfectly fair trade off for getting to spend the night with Edward.

"You're going to make us breakfast?" Chelsea asked me excitedly.

"I sure am." I answered.

"So Bella is going to sleep here at our house so that she can make us breakfast right after we all wake up."

"Can she sleep in my bed?"

"No, she's going to sleep in Daddy's bed."

"Why?" She asked.

Edward looked thoughtful for a moment as he looked at her.

"You know how sometimes on special nights you get to sleep in my bed? Like you did on Christmas?"

"Yes."

"Well tonight Bella gets a special night."

"But I want her to sleep with me."

"Maybe she will sometime, but not tonight."

"Okay." She said although she didn't sound happy about it.

We didn't want to be late for our reservation so we said quick goodbyes to Chelsea and Angela and then went back downstairs. Edward put on a jacket and then grabbed his wallet while I went to get my purse.

We ended up taking my car since it was behind his. He drove and although it wasn't uncomfortable, we sat in silence pretty much the whole time. The whole car ride I was thinking about Rosalie. I didn't want to, because I didn't want to let our fight ruin my night, but I couldn't take my mind off of it.

I just couldn't understand why she was being so negative. She should be happy for me, not trying to discourage me. She didn't even know Edward, yet she was telling me that there was no way he would ever be serious about me. I didn't believe what she had said for one second, because I knew better, but it still bothered me. A girl expects her best friend to always be by her side, and here she was trying to bring me down. The fact that she was being a total hypocrite only made me more pissed off about the whole thing. She was sleeping with multiple people at the same time, one of them married, and she was trying to give _me_ relationship advice?

I really didn't stop thinking about Rosalie until we were being seated at our table. Edward pulled out my chair for me and I sat down with a sigh. As he moved to go take his own seat, I looked around the restaurant. It was nice. He had brought me to a steakhouse that I'd never been to and it was nicer than I'd thought it would be. The hostess told us that our waiter would be over shortly and then left.

"So," Edward said, reaching across the table to take my hand. "Tell me what happened."

I told him everything that happened from start to finish, not leaving anything out. I'd paused momentarily while we gave our orders to the waiter when he came over, but as soon as he was gone I went back to my story. I told him everything she had said to me, and everything I had said to her. When I got to the end and told him about how I'd said I wouldn't take advice from someone fucking a married guy, his face shifted to a look of surprise.

"Please don't say anything to Emmett." I asked. "Even though I'm pissed at Rosalie…I really probably shouldn't even be telling you about James."

"No, no, I'm not going to say anything." He assured me. "I shouldn't have told you that she slept with Emmett either, so we're even. And besides, it's none of my business. He might get pissed if I say something. I'd rather just not involve myself."

"But I still can't believe she's doing that to him. I mean, from what you told me, it's obvious that Emmett is interested in her. He's a good guy. I don't know why she's screwing him over like this for a _married_ man."

"Me neither." He agreed. "He's asked her out on a real date twice now and both times she's said no."

"Ugh!" I said in frustration. "I just don't understand her."

Our food came a moment later. The waiter set our plates of steak down and then asked if we needed anything else. Edward told him no and then after telling us he would be back by to refill our water, he walked away.

"Bella, baby," Edward started. I looked up at him from my plate. "You know that everything she said about our relationship is wrong, don't you?"

"Of course I do." I assured him. "She was being crazy."

"Okay…" he said with a nod. "I just want to make sure that you're not letting her get into your head. Because she was completely off. I am one hundred percent committed to you. You are in no way just something to occupy my time until something else comes along."

I smiled and started to play a little bit of footsy with him under the table.

"I know that, Edward. You don't have to worry about me doubting what we have."

"Good." He said, returning my smile.

"She's just jealous because she obviously has relationship issues and I don't."

He nodded and started cutting his steak.

"Well I'm proud of you for not letting her get in your head and I'm even more proud of you for standing up to her."

"Thanks. It felt good. Our whole friendship I've always been her little sidekick, so quick to go along with whatever she had to say, but she was being totally irrational this time. It felt really good to finally stand up to her for once. I guess I've kind of let her walk over me in the past, but I'm not going to let her trash talk my relationship like that."

I picked up my steak knife and started cutting my steak while Edward started taking the first few bites of his.

"I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but I really don't understand why you're friends with her. I mean, why would you want someone so negative in your life? Especially if she's so overbearing."

I sighed and shrugged.

"To be honest with you, I really don't know."

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.

As we drove to my apartment after dinner for my things, Edward got a phone call. He glanced at the caller I.D. before answering it.

"Speaking of Emmett…" He mumbled before pressing the talk button. "Hello?"

I looked over and watched Edward as he spoke. He sighed solemnly and I wondered what Emmett had said.

"Man, I didn't tell you because I didn't want to hurt your feelings."

_Oh no. Did someone tell Emmett about James? No, that's impossible. I thought I was the only one who knew?_

"Who told you?"

_That must be it. What else would they be talking about?_

"I don't know why she didn't invite you."

_Wait, what?_

"No, Bella and I aren't even going anymore."

_Had Rosalie seriously not invited Emmett to her party?_

"It's a long story."

_She was _fucking_ the guy and she couldn't even find it in her heart to invite him to a party?_

"Yeah, we're just gonna go home. We just got done eating."

_How can Rosalie be so heartless?_

"Okay, yeah, sure. Bye."

"What was that about?" I asked Edward as soon as he hung up.

He sighed before answering me.

"Rosalie didn't invite Emmett to her party. His New Years plans fell through so he called Jasper to see what he was up to tonight. Jasper didn't know that Emmett wasn't invited so he told him that we were all going to the party. Emmett didn't even know there was a party. I think he was pretty bummed when he found out he didn't even get an invite."

My heart went out to Emmett. I felt so bad for him. I didn't know why he liked Rosalie so much, but he did. And I hated to think about how much it must have hurt his feelings that she was such a bitch she wouldn't even invite him to her party. And just to make it worse, she had invited his best friends.

"Give me your phone." I said to Edward.

He handed me his phone and glanced over at me with a confused expression. I opened up his contacts list and scrolled down until I found Emmett's name. I pressed talk and held the phone up to my ear as it started ringing.

"Hello?" Emmett's voice said. He sounded sad and that made me sad.

"Hey, Emmett. It's Bella."

"Oh, hey Bella…what's up?" He sounded a little confused. He was probably wondering why I was calling him.

"Edward told me that your plans fell through tonight."

"Uh…yeah. They did." He said, still sounding confused.

"Well so did ours. So why don't you come over and hang out with us."

He was quiet for a moment so I waited patiently.

"Um, I don't know. I mean, I don't want to intrude."

"You're not intruding. I insist."

He was quiet again, so I waited again.

"Okay. Well, thank you for inviting me. When should I head over?"

"Well we're going to my apartment first to get some stuff, so you should probably leave in about thirty minutes."

"Alright. Well, thanks again Bella."

"No problem. See you in a little while."

I handed the phone back to Edward with a sigh. I felt a little bad about inviting Emmett without asking Edward first, but I wasn't going to let him sit home alone feeling bad about himself because of Rosalie. Besides, Edward and I had planned on going out in the first place so it's not like I was ruining anticipated alone time between us.

"That was sweet, babe. I didn't even think about inviting him over." Edward told me as he took his phone back.

"Well I'm glad you're cool with it because I like Emmett and I'm not going to let Rosalie ruin his night just because she's a bitch."

Edward reached across the small console of my car to take me hand.

"I'm more than cool with it. You have such a big heart and I love that."

We pulled up to my apartment a few moments later and Edward turned to me after turning off the car.

"What do you want me to get? And you'll also need to tell me where it is…I've never been in your apartment before."

I hadn't realized that Edward had never been in there before. At first I was all for him going in there without me, but since I'd cooled down a bit I had changed my mind. I wasn't going to give Rosalie that sense of victory.

"Actually, I think I want to go in. First of all, I don't really know what I need without looking around. I don't want to forget something. Secondly, I think this is part of standing up to her. It's my apartment too and I'm not going to avoid it just because of her. I'm not a coward."

He smiled at me and then kissed my hand.

"Do you want me to go with you?"

"Yes." I said quickly.

We got out of the car and I took his hand as we approached the stairs leading up to the front door. I took a deep breath and prepared myself to go inside.

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**A/N:**

**This was the first part of two.**

**That probably wasn't the New Years you all were expecting, but at the last minute I realized that this would fit perfectly with what I have planned in upcoming chapters.**

**Some people asked, so…**

**Yes, we will be seeing more of Esme soon.**

**Yes, Edward will meet Charlie.**

**Yes, Charlie will meet Chelsea.**

**Yes, we WILL get to find out what Rosalie's issues are. She's going to confide in someone you might not be expecting her to…**

**Yes, we will learn more about Edward's father. A lot more…**

**Shit's going down. We're just now getting to the good stuff :)**

**Once again, thank you all for your incredible support. I almost have 750 reviews!**

**KEEP IT UP!**

**Jenna **__


	17. New Years Part 2

_"Actually, I think I want to go in. First of all, I don't really know what I need without looking around. I don't want to forget something. Secondly, I think this is part of standing up to her. It's my apartment too and I'm not going to avoid it just because of her. I'm not a coward."_

_He smiled at me and then kissed my hand._

_"Do you want me to go with you?"_

_"Yes." I said quickly._

_We got out of the car and I took his hand as we approached the stairs leading up to the front door. I took a deep breath and prepared myself to go inside._

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**BPOV**

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Edward and I walked into my apartment hand in hand. There were only a handful of people there since it was still relatively early, but enough for Rosalie to appear occupied in conversation and too busy to acknowledge me. She didn't even look at me.

I pulled Edward hurriedly through the living room and down the hall to my bedroom. I just wanted to avoid any contact with Rosalie. She would see that I was there and that I wasn't afraid of coming back into my apartment, but I was in no way running back to be her little minion.

As soon as I got Edward's sexy body into my room, I shut my door behind us.

"I like your room." He said, going over to plop himself down on my bed.

"Thank you."

I looked at Edward as he sprawled out on my bed and smiled. It was nice to see him in _my_ bed. I wanted to ask him to get naked and roll around in my sheets so they would smell like him, but I was worried he might think that was a little weird.

I kicked off my heels and then starting taking off my clothes. If we were just going to chill with Emmett at Edward's house…I might as well change into something comfortable. I could feel Edward's eyes on me as I stripped down to my bra and panties, but I tried to ignore it. I had told Emmett to leave for Edward's house in about thirty minutes and I didn't want to start something that we couldn't finish.

I went into my closet and found my favorite pair of sweatpants. I pulled them on and then pulled my UGGS up over them. I put on a plain white T shirt and then grabbed the first hoodie I found and put that on over it.

"So what did you yesterday and today?" Edward asked as I got dressed.

"Absolutely nothing…I've been so utterly bored since I've been on winter break."

"I'm sorry. I wish I could have spent all day with you."

"Yes, but you had the nerve to be at the hospital all day saving lives instead. What a jerk." I joked.

He laughed and I grabbed a small duffel duffle bag from a shelf in my closet.

"Well I'm still sorry that you were bored."

I started throwing some clean clothes into my bag.

"Well, thank you. And even though I know your job is important, I wish that I could spend more time with you too…and Chelsea."

I walked out of my closet and into my bathroom to grab some of my toiletries.

"Well I don't want to speak for her, but I'm fairly certain she feels the same way. She can't get enough of you."

That gave me a thought. I couldn't spend as much time as I wanted to with Edward because he worked a lot…but Chelsea didn't. While Edward worked, she just hung out with Edward's mom. So why couldn't she do that with me one day? I took care of her by myself when she was sick. I was definitely capable of taking care of her while Edward was gone.

I finished loading up my bag and then put it down and went over to the bed. Edward scooted over so that I could sit down next to where he lay.

"I have an idea." I told him.

"Well by all means, please share." He said with a smile.

"Well I told you that I've been bored since I've been out of school. And next semester still doesn't start until the eighteenth… so I still have a lot of time. Maybe I could help out with watching Chelsea some days while you're at work."

He looked at me thoughtfully for a moment.

"But would you actually want to watch her all day?"

"Of course I would."

"I just don't want you to watch her and then feel like I'm using you as a babysitter or something…"

I sighed and took his hand to play with his fingers.

"Edward, stop worrying so much about me being put off by helping you with Chelsea. I _want_ to be involved with her, and that includes helping to take care of her. Besides, it will be good bonding time for us."

He smiled up at me.

"I don't think you need to worry about not having a bond with her, But I'm sure she would enjoy spending the day with you regardless."

"So when do you work next?"

"Sunday"

"So can I stay with her on Sunday, then?"

"Sure. We'll tell her in the morning. I'm sure she'll be thrilled."

I smiled excitedly and leaned down to give him a quick kiss.

"Perfect. Now let's go so we can get back before she falls asleep. We told her we would be there."

I stood up and he followed behind me.

"Let me take that." He said as I picked up my bag.

"No, I have something heavier for you to carry."

"What are you talking about? He asked.

"Just follow me."

I swung my bag over my shoulder and then left my room with Edward following behind me. I stopped at the hall closet on my way to the living room and grabbed a cardboard box. I entered the living room and walked right past everyone on my way to the kitchen with my box. I was glad that I didn't know any of the people that were already here. That would have been awkward.

I didn't even look at Rosalie so I wasn't sure if she was watching me or not. I marched right into the kitchen, over to where all of the alcohol was set up on the counter, and started loading half of it into my box. Sure enough, it didn't take long for Rosalie to come in and start bitching.

"Umm, Bella? What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Well, Rosalie. In case you don't recall…I pitched in for half of this alcohol. That means that half of it is mine. So since I've decided not to stay for your party tonight…I'll be taking my alcohol with me when I leave with my amazing boyfriend."

The look on her face reminded me of the look that Edward's mom had on her face when I told her that she better get used to having me around.

Man, I was really on a roll lately with this whole standing up for myself thing. If only my high school self could see me now.

I finished loading half of the alcohol into my box and then brushed right past Rosalie and carried the box over to Edward. I hadn't looked at him the whole time so I just then noticed the big smile on his face.

"Will you carry this for me, babe?" I asked him sweetly.

"Absolutely"

His smile widened as he took the box from me and leaned over it to peck my lips.

I led Edward out of the apartment without another word or glance back at Rosalie. It felt amazing.

"Who knew my girlfriend was such a badass." Edward said with a smirk as he loaded the box into my trunk.

"I'm full of surprises." I said, laughing.

He held my hand as he drove us back to his house, and I felt oddly content. I didn't need Rosalie. I didn't need any friend like that. If she couldn't see that I had a good thing going for me and be happy for me, well…then screw her.

Thankfully, the drive to Edward's was a quick one. I wanted to make sure that we were there before Chelsea fell asleep. Edward carried the box of alcohol inside and I carried my bag of clothes. As soon as we'd put the stuff down on the kitchen table, I hurried into the living room to look for Chelsea.

When I entered the living room I saw that _Peter Pan_ was playing on the T.V. Angela was sitting in one of the armchairs while Chelsea was curled up on the couch with a blanket. When she saw me approaching she gave me a sleepy smile. I smiled back at her widely and went to sit on the couch next to her. I pulled her up into my lap with the blanket still wrapped around her.

"Hi, sweetie" I said to her softly as I wrapped my arms around her tightly.

"Hey, Angela" Edward said as he entered the room. "How was she?"

"She was great." She answered as she stood up.

"Good, thanks for watching her."

"Oh it was no problem. She's a lot of fun."

"Well she certainly does keep you busy." He said with a light chuckle. "I'll walk you to the door." He added as he pulled out his wallet.

"Alright. Goodnight, Chelsea." She said to the angel in my arms.

"Bye, Angela."

"Goodnight, Angela." I said to her. "It was nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too"

She and Edward left the room and I turned my attention back to Chelsea.

"Did you have fun with Angela?"

She wrapped her arms around my neck and rested her head on my shoulder.

"Yeah but you're funner."

I smiled and kissed the top of her head.

"Did your Daddy already give you a bath before Angela got here?"

She nodded against my shoulder and then yawned.

"Are you ready to be tucked in?" I asked.

She nodded again.

"Well let's go upstairs then."

I turned off the T.V. and then picked her up with the blanket still wrapped around her. When I walked into the entry way to go up the stairs, Edward was just closing the door behind Angela.

"Emmett should be here by now." I commented to him.

"He's always late." He said with a shrug.

"Why is Uncle Emmy coming over?" Chelsea asked in a quiet voice.

"He's going to come over to see Bella and I for a little while, but you have to go to sleep. It's getting late."

I carried Chelsea up the stairs and Edward followed behind us. When we got into her room Edward pulled back her covers and I put her down in the bed.

"Did you brush your teeth with Angela?" Edward asked her.

She nodded and yawned again as Edward pulled the covers up around her. This time when she yawned she rubbed her eyes with her tiny little fists. It was adorable.

"Sleep tight, sleeping beauty." Edward said before leaning over to kiss her on the forehead. "Before you know it it'll be morning and Bella will make us breakfast."

She smiled and curled into her blankets.

"Goodnight, Daddy. I love you."

He tucked the covers in around her and then gave her another kiss.

"I love you too, princess."

After Edward stood up I bent over to give her a kiss as well.

"Goodnight, sweetie. I'll see you in the morning." I told her.

"Goodnight, Bella. I love you."

I felt myself beaming down at her as I pushed some hair away from her face.

"I love you too."

She yawned yet again and her tired little eyes looked heavy. Edward went to turn on her Cinderella night light and then we both moved for the door. I left the room first and Edward followed behind me. After one last glance at her, he closed her door until it was cracked and then we both went downstairs.

"I'm sorry that I ruined our night." I told him as we walked back towards the kitchen.

"You didn't ruin our night, Bella."

"Yes I did. You said that you wanted to go out and now because of me we're staying in."

"No, because of _Rosalie_ we're staying in. And to be honest, I really don't mind. I thought that I wanted to go out because it seems like that's what couples are supposed to do on New Years, and I don't want to miss out on anything with you, but then I realized it really doesn't matter. I'm not missing out on anything with you as long as you're with me. It doesn't matter if we're at a party or out at a club or just sitting here at home…If I'm with you, I can have fun doing any of it."

I went over to him and wrapped my arms around his waist in a hug.

"You're right. My night can't be ruined if I'm with you."

"And the good news is that your now have a pretty good supply of alcohol."

I glanced at the box on the table and laughed.

"Indeed I do."

"We could have a party for two." He joked.

That gave me a very appealing sounding idea.

"Let's do." I said, looking up at him with a big smile.

"I was joking." He said, laughing.

"I know, but I'm not. Let's take a shot."

"Alright" He said with a shrug.

I let go of him and went over to the box on the table to pull out a bottle of vodka. When I turned back around Edward already had two shot glasses set out on the counter. I handed him the bottle and told him to pour out two shots. While he did that, I went to the pantry and brought out a bag of sugar.

"Do you have a lemon?" I asked.

"Yeah" He said, looking at the bag of sugar curiously. "What do you need sugar for?"

I smiled, put the bag of sugar down next to the shot glasses, and then hopped up on top of the island.

"We're doing body shots."

He laughed and walked across the kitchen to grab a lemon.

"Mm…who gets to go first?"

"You do."

While he cut up two lemon wedges, I lay back on the counter of the island. He came back over and smiled down at me as he put the lemon in my mouth with the skin facing me. He pushed up my hoodie and shirt to expose my stomach. I couldn't stop giggling.

He leaned down and licked the spot right below my belly button, making me jump at the sensation of his tongue. He pulled back and grabbed the bag of sugar so he could sprinkle some on the place he had just licked.

He moved down again and licked up the sugar but this time when he did he also sucked, giving me goose bumps. Once he had all of the sugar up, he threw back his shot of vodka and then bent back over to suck the lemon wedge out of my mouth.

I laughed as I watched his face scrunch up with the sour taste of the lemon.

"My turn!" I said happily as I hopped down off of the counter.

Once I was off of the counter he lay down on it the way I had been. I climbed up on top of him and straddled his waist. I grabbed the second lemon wedge put it in his mouth. I leaned down and licked up his neck, right over his adams apple. He exhaled deeply and shifted underneath me. I sprinkled the sugar on the spot and then dove back in, sucking and nipping at his skin more than was probably necessary. He moaned softly as I did so and I could feel things stirring in his jeans underneath me.

"WOAH!"

I jumped in surprise at the booming voice that suddenly interrupted the sucking noises that had previously filled the room. I looked up to find the source and laughed when I saw Emmett standing in the doorway. Edward followed my eyes and then laughed as well. The muffled sound of it reminded me that the lemon was still in his mouth.

I grabbed my shot glass, tossed back the liquid inside, and then leaned in to take the lemon out of Edward's mouth. As I sucked on it I hopped down off of Edward and off of the counter.

"Dude!" Emmett exclaimed loudly. "That was…kind of hot, actually. Good for you, Ed."

"Shut up, man. You're gonna wake up Chels." Edward said as he got off of the counter.

"You mean you guys do that kind of shit while she's _here_?"

I laughed as I went to the sink to wet a paper towel. My stomach was kind of sticky from the sugar so I wanted to wipe it off.

"It's not like she's watching. She's asleep." Edward said as he followed my lead and went over to wipe his neck off.

"Well I hope she never has to see that." Emmett answered. "That kind of shit would scar her for life…seeing her Daddy being straddled on the kitchen counter."

"Do you want something to drink?" Edward asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah, but just give me a coke or something. I have to be at work early tomorrow so I don't want to drink."

"Alright"

Edward walked over to the refrigerator and opened up.

"Do you want anything, Bella?" He asked.

"Just water"

He pulled out a bottle of water for me, a coke for Emmett, and a beer for himself. He kicked the refrigerator door shut behind him and then distributed our drinks accordingly.

I looked at Emmett and mentally sighed. He was attractive, he was sweet, and he was funny. Why the hell did Rosalie not find him good enough for her? I tried to brush it off because honestly Emmett deserved _better_ than her, but it still bothered me. It bothered because Emmett was into her regardless of if he deserved better or not, and she was hurting him. She would be lucky to have him, and it irritated me that she couldn't see that.

Without even thinking about it, I put my water down and went over to throw my arms around Emmett in a huge hug. He laughed and hugged me back.

"Well hello to you too, Bella."

"I'm really glad that you came over." I told him honestly.

"Well thanks for inviting me. Ringing in the New Year alone didn't sound very appealing."

"Well, that's why you're here." Edward told him.

"Speaking of which, how come your plans fell through?" He asked. "I got the impression that Rosalie's party was the place to be." He added a little bit curtly.

"I decided being here with you two was the place to be instead." I said with a smile, avoiding the real answer.

"What made you decide that? I thought Rosalie was your best friend?"

Ugh. Why must you ask so many questions, Emmett?

"Look, I really don't want to talk about Rosalie tonight. I just want to relax and have a totally drama free evening. So can we just not mention her for now?" I requested.

"Fine with me" Emmett said with a nonchalant shrug.

I sensed that he was trying to play it off as if he didn't care, but his facial expression told another story. Maybe he was trying to convince himself.

The fact that I didn't want to think about Rosalie was only one of the reasons that I didn't want to talk about her. Besides that, I particularly didn't want to talk about her with Emmett. I wasn't sure if he was under the impression that I didn't know he had been sleeping with her or if he assumed that she had told me. Therefore, I didn't want to get anywhere close to that subject with Emmett. Also, a big portion of my frustration with Rosalie was because she was using Emmett when she knew good and well that he really liked her. I wasn't going to be the one to tell him that she was also sleeping with James, so that was just another reason to avoid that conversation with Emmett. It all just seemed like a really sticky discussion to have.

Thankfully, Rosalie really wasn't brought up all night.

We watched _Donnie Darko_, which left me utterly confused. By the time the movie was over I felt like I had no idea what it had even been about. It went completely over my head. Edward tried to explain it to me but I just nodded and pretended that I got it so that my boyfriend wouldn't think I was mentally incompetent.

The movie ended around eleven and Emmett decided to go ahead and leave since he had to be up early for work. I was kind of glad that he didn't stay until midnight. It would be kind of awkward for him to just sit there alone while Edward and I shared our New Years kiss. I wondered if that was the real reason for his early departure.

Once Emmett was gone Edward decided to heat up the hot tub for us. I didn't plan on that and didn't bring a bathing suit with me, so I decided to just go in with my bra and panties. Edward said he wouldn't mind if I went naked, but I was worried that his neighbors would see.

My half of the alcohol that I took from my apartment also included half of the champagne we had bought to toast with at midnight. So, Edward and I poured ourselves each a glass and took it with us into the hot tub.

I took my phone out with us so I could keep track of the time, and at midnight on the dot we shared the best New Years kiss I'd ever had. Actually, it was probably the best kiss I'd ever had period.

I was pretty worn out from my good cry earlier and I'd also had just enough alcohol to make me sleepy, so Edward and I decided to go to bed once we'd gotten out of the hot tub. We dried off and then went back inside and headed straight for his room.

Edward put on some cotton pajama pants to sleep in and lucky for me, no shirt. I put on the small shorts I'd brought to sleep in but since I was freezing from walking through the chilly air outside, I put on my hoodie instead of the tank top I brought.

"Thank you for being a good friend when I wasn't." Edward said as we got under the covers and I curled into his side.

"What do you mean?" I asked through a yawn.

"With Emmett…thank you for being so considerate. If it weren't for you he would have spent New Years alone. I should have given that a second thought."

I shrugged and moved my leg to rest between his.

"Well it all worked out in the end so don't worry about it."

"Oh and sorry about committing you to making breakfast for us in the morning. I couldn't think of any other reason to tell Chelsea why you were staying the night."

"That's okay." I said with a small laugh. "I'm always happy to rescue her from _your_ cooking."

"Well we're both always happy to eat your food, so I guess that works out."

"I guess it does."

Everything seemed to just work out with Edward. In the past three months, not only did we never fight, but I never even learned one thing about him that I didn't like. He was perfect. The way that my relationship was with him made everything other 'relationship' I'd been in seem foolish. Nothing was more real than the way I felt about Edward.

"Rosalie was so wrong about us." I said as I traced the numbers of the tattoo on his rib. "I'm so happy with you."

"I'm happy with you too, baby…more than happy. And you're right. Rosalie couldn't be more wrong."

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"Bella" A voice whispered from somewhere over me.

At first I thought it was Edward, but this voice was too small and high pitched. I could still feel his arms wrapped around me from behind, so I knew we were still in his bed. Who else would be whispering to me?

"Bella…" The voice said again. This time it was more insistent.

I felt Edward stir and then groan behind me.

"Hi, Daddy"

Ah. So that was the source of the phantom voice.

"Hi" Edward replied, his voice hoarse from sleep.

"I'm not tired anymore." She stated simply. "And I want Bella to wake up."

"Shh. Let her sleep, sweetie." Edward said quietly.

"I'm awake." I said as I forced my eyes open.

My eyes locked on Chelsea's and a huge, toothy grin spread across her face.

"Hi, Bella"

"Morning" I answered hoarsely.

I wasn't exactly a morning person, so I was a little thrown off by this wake up call. My eyes flickered to the alarm clock to see that it was eight O'clock. I wondered how long she had been awake.

Chelsea was on the bed right next to me, on her knees with her hands on my legs. Thank God Edward and I were dressed.

"Chelsea, come here." Edward told her.

She climbed right over me and on top of Edward. I rolled over to face him so I could watch what he wanted her to go over there for.

In one swift movement, Edward had her pinned down on her back next to where he lay on his side. In my disoriented state of sleepiness, I thought for a split second that he was going to hurt her. Then I realized what he was doing. He started tickling her relentlessly and she erupted into a fit of giggles.

_What the fuck is going on? It is way too early for someone to be giggling so much._

"DADDY!" She yelped.

Then all of the sudden Edward was up out of the bed and throwing a still giggling Chelsea over his shoulder.

"DADDY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH ME?" She yelled through her giggling as he carried her out of the room.

Once they disappeared through the door I rolled over and hugged my pillow tightly to me. I was just happy the screaming and giggling had stopped. That sort of thing shouldn't be allowed in this world so early.

A few minutes later, Edward reappeared without Chelsea. He slid back underneath the covers with me and slid up behind me.

"What did you do with her?" I asked.

"I gave her some juice and put on _Dora the explorer._"

"Oh." I mumbled sleepily.

"I'm sorry she woke you up, baby." He said, stroking my hair. "You can go back to sleep if you want."

I sighed and rolled over to face him, burying my face in his chest.

"No, that's okay."

"How did you sleep?"

"Perfectly. I think sleeping in your arms is my new favorite thing."

He laughed softly and kissed my forehead.

"Hmm, it was nice…but I'm not sure I would call it my favorite. I'll just say that having you in my bed in general is my favorite thing."

We lay there for about fifteen minutes until I decided I should probably get up to make breakfast. I took my bag with me into the bathroom and freshened up quickly before heading for the kitchen to see what I was working with.

Thankfully, Edward had eggs, bacon, and pancake mix.

While I started cooking, Edward set up Chelsea with a coloring book at the table. Once she was occupied, I let him mix up the pancake batter while I started on the bacon. Surely he could manage that. 

"What was that noise?" Edward asked suddenly as he stirred.

"I didn't hear anything." I said with a shrug.

A moment later, I wished that statement were still true.

"Hellllooo?" Called a chipper and shrill voice that could only belong to one person. It sounded like it was coming from either the entry way or the living room. "Where's my sweet grandbaby?"

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**A/N:**

**First of all, I know that nobody who reviewed the A/N I posted was able to review chapter 16. I could not figure out for the life of me how to fix it. So I didn't get very many reviews and it was really sad :( but thank you to all of the people who messaged me about it. So…you guys who didn't get to review can do both chapters at once :)**

**I'm sure some people may be wondering why Bella seemed so annoyed with Chelsea when she woke up, so I'm going to explain before I get complaints about it. Bella's never been in a house with a small child like that and isn't used to waking up to energetic, screaming four year olds. Those are the kinds of things that she's going to have to get used to in her relationship with Edward. **

**To all of you who asked, my pregnancy is going great. No, I still haven't decided on a name.**

**I had a couple people ask If I have an update schedule and the answer is no, I do not. Sorry. **

**I think I addressed all of the other questions I got in the chapter 16 a/n, but if I missed any…let me know. **

**The long A/N I posted got over a hundred reviews, so I know that this chapter can do the same!**

**Love you and appreciate all of your support**

**Jenna**


	18. The Wicked Witch Returns

**I own nothing. What a sad truth.**

**I want to get over a thousand reviews! Let's make it happen, my faithful followers :)**

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**Previously…**

_"What was that noise?" Edward asked suddenly as he stirred._

_"I didn't hear anything." I said with a shrug._

_A moment later, I wished that statement were still true._

_"Hellllooo?" Called a chipper and shrill voice that could only belong to one person. It sounded like it was coming from either the entry way or the living room. "Where's my sweet grandbaby?"_

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**BPOV**

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_Holy mother fucking shit. What is the wicked witch of the west doing here?_

"You've got to be kidding me…" I heard Edward mumble.

"Hellllooo?" The obnoxiously sweet voice called again.

"GRANDMA!" Chelsea yelled as soon as Esme turned the corner into the kitchen.

"Hi, my precious litt –" She stopped mid sentence when she caught sight of me. "Oh. Bella's here."

_Indeed I am, Grandma. _

She looked just as proper and perfectly put together as she had the last time I saw her. She had on perfectly ironed beige pants with a perfectly ironed white blouse and perfectly styled hair to top it all off. She had her purse in one hand and a brown paper bag in the other.

"Hi, Esme" I said, mimicking her sickeningly sweet tone.

I was less than thrilled to be face to face with Esme again, but it was bound to happen sooner or later. I was lucky to have been able to avoid her for as long as I did.

"Mom, what are you doing here?" Edward asked in a tone that was not sweet at all.

"I, um…I brought some stuff over that Chelsea left at my house." She said, nodding towards the brown paper bag.

"You couldn't have called first?"

Esme opened her mouth to answer, but Chelsea cut her off before she got the chance.

"Grandma, Bella is making us pancakes!"

"I see that." Esme said, giving me a cold glance. "Did she come over this morning just to do that?" She asked, directing the question at Chelsea.

"She didn't come over this morning. She spent the night with us last night." Chelsea said matter-of-factly as she continued to color.

_Bella: 1 Esme: 0 _

Esme's face looked like she had just found out she had a terminal illness. I can't say that I didn't enjoy the sight of it. She put both of her bags down and then turned to Edward with an enraged look in her eyes.

"Edward, can I speak to you for a moment?" She asked.

"Sure, mother. Say whatever it is you need to say."

"I meant in the other room."

"Actually, I'm kind of busy right now."

"It will only take a few minutes." She insisted.

"Well I don't have a few minutes. Bella and I are making breakfast. Maybe if I'd known you were coming over I could have planned my morning accordingly."

_Good for you, baby. Who the hell just shows up at someone's house unannounced anyway?"_

I finished loading the bacon into the skillet so I threw away the wrapper and went to wash my hands. We all stood in an awkward silence and I was glad that I was scrubbing my hands to keep myself busy.

"Can I have some juice?" Chelsea asked as I dried my hands.

Since Edward was still whisking the batter for me, I turned to go get the orange juice out of the refrigerator. Esme, being the territorial crazy Grandma that she was, interfered with my path and got there first.

_Bella: 1 Esme: 1_

"Are you going to be staying for breakfast, Esme?" I asked in my fake nice voice as she poured a cup of juice and gave it to Chelsea.

She glanced at the food I was preparing and pursed her lips.

"I don't think so. I try to maintain a healthy diet, and this doesn't seem very nutritious."

_Bella: 1 Esme: 2_

"You're missing out, Grandma." Chelsea said without looking up from her coloring book. "Bella makes yummy food."

_Bella: 2 Emse: 2_

"Well I can certainly see why you would enjoy it, sweetie." Esme said to her with a curt smile. She then turned to Edward. "Edward, dear, you should give some sort of fruit instead of that greasy bacon."

Edward dropped the whisk with an exasperated sigh and looked up at her.

"Thanks for stopping by to bring Chelsea's things, Mom. Is there anything else you needed?"

"No, no, I suppose I'll be on my way." She said as if Edward had not practically just dismissed her. "What time should I come to pick up my little princess tomorrow?"

She said the last part in a baby voice and directed it at Chelsea. It was obnoxious.

"Actually, mom, Bella's going to stay with Chelsea tomorrow."

I seriously wish I could have taken a picture of the look on her face.

_Bella wins._

"You're going to stay with me, Bella?" Chelsea asked excitedly.

_Oh yeah, Bella definitely wins._

"Yeah, I am! We can play all day!" I said enthusiastically.

"What is this about, Edward?" Esme asked, not even bothering with her sweet façade anymore.

"It's not about anything. Bella said she wanted to help with taking care of Chelsea so she's going to stay with her a few times before she goes back to school."

"We're going to have so much fun!" Chelsea said excitedly.

"Yes, we are." I agreed.

"But I always stay with her while you're at work. What's wrong with the way we do things now?" Esme asked.

"Nothing is wrong with it, but there's no reason that Bella can't stay with her some days. Chelsea is obviously excited about it."

"But does she know all of Chelsea's emergency information? Phone numbers?"

"I'll leave it all with her." Edward said with a shrug. "This won't be the first time she's taken care of her. She stayed with her last time she was sick."

"You didn't tell me she was sick." Esme said as if she were offended.

"I don't need to, you're not her mother." Edward said sternly.

Chelsea had now stopped coloring and was looking up at all of us curiously. I think she sensed the tension in the room. Who wouldn't?

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**EPOV**

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"Mom, if you would like to discuss this further…we can do so while I walk you out to your car." I said firmly.

I admit I was giving her a pretty bad attitude, but I was beyond irritated with her for showing up at my house unannounced. As if that weren't annoying enough, she then came here and questioned me on my decision of who I was leaving my daughter with the next day. I was a grown man and I knew how to take care of my child. She wasn't Chelsea's mother and I didn't need her breathing down my neck while I parented.

As irritated as I was with her, however, part of me did feel bad for giving my mom such an unpleasant attitude. She was being a pain in the ass, but I felt bad because the truth was that I really _did_ need her when it came to some things. As eager as Bella was to help me with Chelsea, the reality was that she couldn't be there every time she needed to be watched. And therefore, I would still be depending on my Mom at times. So I really did need to stay in her good graces.

"Alright, let's _do_ go discuss this further."

I gave her a nod and then passed the bowl of batter I'd been stirring to Bella. I gave her a quick kiss on the forehead, mumbled a 'be right back' to her, and then went to the doorway that led to the garage to wait for my mom. She gave a Chelsea a hug and a kiss and then after promising to see her soon, she grabbed her purse and came to follow me.

We walked out into the garage and I pressed the button to open up the door. We walked down the driveway in silence and when we reached her car I turned to her with a sigh.

"Edward, honey, you know that I love you."

"Yeah, I know." I mumbled.

"And I really do want you to be happy."

"Sure doesn't seem like it, Mom. Because I _am_ happy, but for some reason you can't see that."

"I do, Edward. I do. I just think you have your priorities a little mixed up right now."

"My daughter has _always_ been my number one priority, mom. I have worked my _ass_ for that little girl. So please…do not ever question my priorities."

"I'm sorry, I phrased that wrong. I know that she's your number one priority. I just think that you're not thinking clearly when it comes to Bella."

"Well you wrong. Everything is crystal clear to me when it comes to Bella."

"Okay, but…Edward, you've only known her for a few months. Do you really think it's wise to be letting her care for your daughter all day while you're at work?"

"Why does it matter how long I've known her? And you're not one to be lecturing me on that anyway. Do you forget that you were engaged to my father after only knowing him for _two weeks_?"

"And look how that ended."

God this woman really knew how to push my buttons.

"Do not ever compare my relationship to _anything_ involving that man."

She gave me an apologetic smile and put her hand on my shoulder.

"Edward, if you're really so certain about her…then I'll try to respect that. All I ask is that you please just promise me you will be careful. And please keep Chelsea's best interest in mind."

"I promise." I said, mostly just to pacify her.

"Well, I guess just…make sure she has my phone number in case anything happens tomorrow."

"Alright"

I knew nothing would happen, but once again…I just wanted to pacify her.

"I love you, Son."

"Love you too, Mom."

We exchanged a brief hug and I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. As I watched her drive away I breathed a huge sigh of relief. I really hoped she would learn to accept Bella soon, because she wasn't going anywhere if I had a say in it.

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Sunday was good because I only had to work through the day. After getting used to being on call through the day and the night _and_ the morning, shorter shifts were a breeze. The fact that I was looking forward to getting home to _both_ of my girls waiting for me only made my day that much better. The only downside was that I had to drive Bella's tiny mustang so I could leave her with my car and Chelsea's car seat.

Since I had to leave that morning before the sun even came up, Bella had slept at my house for the second night in a row. I needed to be careful or I was going to get spoiled by her sleeping in my arms.

I smiled automatically upon pulling into my driveway. My house somehow looked homier knowing that Bella was inside.

When I walked in the front door, a mixture of delicious scents flooded my nostrils. I followed the smell towards the kitchen, but I found Bella and Chelsea in the living room on my way there. They had cleared off the coffee table and were knelt down in front of it, working a puzzle.

"HI, DADDY!" Chelsea yelled as soon as she saw me.

She got up and ran over to me. I bent down to catch her in my arms.

"Hi, princess. What are you working on?" I asked as I carried her back into the living room.

"A puzzle" She answered. "Guess what?"

"What?"

"I already took a bath. And Bella let me use bubbles."

"I see that…you're already in your pajamas and everything. Did Bella have to wrestle you into them?"

"No." She said defensively.

"So you were good for her, then?"

"Very good"

Bella got up from the floor and slid up onto the couch. I went over to sit next to her with Chelsea in my lap.

"Hello, Dr. Cullen."

I smiled and raised my eyebrows at her. Her calling me Dr. Cullen was unexpectedly sexy.

"Hello, Ms. Swan."

"How was your day?"

"It was alright. More importantly, how was _your_ day?"

"It was so good, Daddy!" Chelsea answered for her. "Bella played with me all day long!"

"Well aren't you lucky." I said with a smile. "And what is that delicious smell?"

"Lasagna…it should be ready in about fifteen minutes." Bella told me.

It was a small thing, but coming home to a hot meal ready for me felt so unfamiliarly good.

"You didn't have to cook." I told her, even though I was glad that she did.

She shrugged and reached over to play with my hair.

"It wasn't a big deal. I was going to have to cook for myself anyway. And besides, I had lots of help from your little girl." She said, smiling at Chelsea on my lap.

"Did you help Bella with dinner, princess?"

She smiled and nodded up at me proudly.

"Yes. I got to sprinkle the cheese on it."

"Well I hope you did a good job. The cheese is an important part."

"She did a very good job." Bella assured me.

"Well thank you for being such a good little helper." I said, giving Chelsea a big kiss on the cheek.

She giggled and squirmed around in my arms. I put her down and she immediately went back to the puzzle.

"Do you think I have time for a shower before dinner is ready?" I asked Bella.

"Yeah, if you hurry" She answered.

"Mkay, I'll be right back."

I leaned in and gave her a quick kiss. She slid back down onto the floor to help Chelsea with the puzzle and I got up to go take a shower.

When I was finished and dressed, I headed back into the living room to find it empty. I could hear Bella's voice in the kitchen so I continued on down the hallway. Chelsea was sitting at the table and Bella was tossing salad in a bowl.

"Perfect timing" She said with a smile when she saw me.

"Can I help?" I asked.

"You can serve the lasagna."

I took down three plates and took them over to the lasagna dish that was sitting on the stove. I cut two large pieces for Bella and I and a smaller one for Chelsea. I loaded each of the plates with a piece of lasagna and then set them out for Bella to put some salad on each one. While she did that I filled three glasses of water and got out some silverware. Once everything was ready, we set the table and then sat down to dig in.

"Mm, this is delicious." I said after taking my first bite.

It really was. You could tell it was homemade versus the pre-made frozen version I would normally buy.

"Thanks to my cute little assistant." Bella said, smiling at Chelsea.

Chelsea smiled back at her and then shoveled in a bite that was obviously too big for her. It filled her cheeks like a chipmunk and smeared her mouth with sauce. Bella and I both laughed as we watched her chew furiously. She swallowed with a huge gulp and then took another bite. Thankfully, the second one was smaller. As she swallowed the second time, Bella leaned in and whispered something in her ear. Chelsea giggled in response and I narrowed my eyes at them suspiciously.

Chelsea, still laughing, climbed out of her chair and came over to me. I looked over at her, trying to figure out what she was doing, but I couldn't help but laugh at the devious look on her face. Bella started laughing so I turned my head to look at her. When I did, Chelsea stretched up on her tip toes and lunged at me to place a huge, sloppy kiss on my cheek. Consequently, she got sauce all over the side of my face.

I'm pretty sure that was the premeditated part.

Both she and Bella erupted into a fit of laughter…as did I. I couldn't help it. She was too adorable for her own good.

"Do you think this is funny?" I asked, pointing to my face.

I'm sure my smile gave away the fact that I thought it was pretty funny too.

"Yes" She squealed through her laughter.

I pulled her up into my lap and grabbed a napkin to wipe my face off and then hers.

"Let's get you cleaned up before you get sauce all over everything…" I said as I wiped her mouth.

Bella was still laughing so I then turned my attention to her.

"I know you put her up to that…and I'll get you back for it later."

"Yeah right" She said with a little too much confidence for my liking.

"You don't believe me?"

"I believe that you'll try, but I can out run you."

"You think?"

"Most definitely…I still have my youth and agility."

"We'll see"

I finished cleaning Chelsea up and put her back down on her feet.

"Go finish eating, but don't take such big bites."

"Bella, are you going to spend the night with us again?" Chelsea asked as she climbed back into her chair.

"No, not tonight. I need to go back to my own house."

"How come?"

"Because that's where I live."

"But I like it when you're here."

Bella gave her a small smile and I could tell by the look on her face that she didn't know how to answer that. It was time for Daddy to step in.

"If Bella stays with us every night then it won't be as special." I told her.

"When is she going to come back?"

"I don't know." I told her honestly.

"Maybe next time your Daddy has to work all night, you and I can have a sleepover."

"Oh, can we Daddy?" She asked me excitedly.

"Yeah, that sounds fun." I answered.

I didn't like the thought of someone else getting to have a sleepover with Bella, but I knew Chelsea would love it.

After we finished eating, I let Chelsea watch one episode of Dora so that Bella and I could do the dishes before I got her ready for bed. I carried the dishes from the table over to her at the sink and she started rinsing them.

"Dinner was great, thank you for making it."

"Once again, Edward, it was no problem."

I felt like I could practically hear the eye roll in her voice and that made me laugh. I went over next to where she stood at the sink and put my arm around her waist.

"Sorry. I guess I've said that a few times now."

"You have an issue with saying thank you way more than necessary."

"I know." I moved behind her and put both of my hands on her hips, resting my chin on top of her head. "I'm just thankful for everything you've brought to my life."

"You act like you haven't brought anything into my life in return."

I pushed my hands underneath her shirt to run my fingertips across the soft skin of her stomach.

"I'm sure I have. But it can't compare to the happiness you've given me." I answered.

I don't think she understood how much joy she'd brought me. I loved my daughter dearly, but our lives before Bella came along just seemed to be sort of going through the motions. Bella made me feel like there was more substance to my life other than just responsibility. Even when I was with Tanya I didn't feel the way that I felt with her.

We stood in silence like that while she rinsed dishes for about another minute before she let out a long sigh.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing"

I could tell by her voice that wasn't true. I lowered my head to kiss the side of her neck and then right under her ear.

"What's wrong?" I repeated against her ear.

She paused a moment before answering and then sighed again.

"I have to go to the gynecologist tomorrow."

"What for?"

"I have to get a pap smear." She said glumly.

"I'm sorry." I said honestly.

Visits to the gynecologist were just one reason I was happy not to be a woman.

"Yeah…I'm really not looking forward to it. I hope it's not too bad."

"I can only imagine how uncomfortable it is."

"I hope it doesn't hurt."

"Well has it hurt you in the past?"

"I've never had one before."

That caught me a little off guard. I was about to reprimand her for not ever having one since it was an important part staying healthy as a woman, but then I remembered that she was only eighteen. It was normal for girls to be getting a pap smear for the first time at that age.

"Oh. So why are you starting now? Are you having some kind of problem or is it just that time of life?"

I didn't know if it was rude of me to ask, but to be honest…I felt a little protective of that region of her body. If something was going on down there I wanted to know about it. Actually, if anything at all was going on with Bella health-wise I wanted to know about it.

"Neither. I wouldn't be going at all if it weren't for my stupid doctor. I need my birth control prescription renewed and now that I'm eighteen she won't do it unless I go in for an exam."

"Ah" I said in understanding. "So you're nervous it's gonna hurt, then?"

"Yeah." She answered solemnly.

"Well I'm sure it will be fine. I'd offer to go with you but I have to work."

She sighed again, turned off the water, and dried her hands before turning around in my arms to face me.

"Rosalie was going to go with me, but I guess that isn't gonna happen now."

"Maybe you could ask Alice." I suggested.

"Yeah, I guess I could call her."

She leaned back against the counter and I remained standing in front of her. I put my hands up on the counter on either side of her, creating a sort of cage around her with my arms. She lifted her hands to my shoulders and then ran her fingertips down my biceps to my forearms. She underestimated what just a simple touch like that from her could do to me. She gave me a sly smile and then dropped her hands lower to play with the button on my jeans. Things immediately started perking up in my boxers, so I took both of her hands and lifted them away from that region. That would at least have to wait until Chelsea was in bed.

"Babe…" I said in a warning tone.

"DADDY!" Chelsea called from the living room. "DORA IS OVER!"

Good timing. At least I wasn't fully hard yet.

"Do you want to put her to bed with me?" I asked as I readjusted things in my pants.

She kept her eyes locked on my southern region as she answered.

"Yeah, but can we go to bed for a little while afterwards? I'm not gonna stay, but I want…"

She let her sentence trail off and ran her pointer finger down my stomach. I swallowed hard and licked my bottom lip. Apparently my sweet little Bella was feeling frisky tonight.

"Yeah, we can go to bed." I said in a whisper as I leaned forward to kiss her forehead.

"DADDY!"

"I'll be right there!" I called back to my insistent daughter.

Bella pushed her way out of my arms and started walking towards the living room. She seemed pretty anxious to get Chelsea to bed. I watched her ass and hips sway as I followed her out of the room and suddenly became pretty anxious myself.

We both laughed when we entered the living room and found Chelsea pretty much upside down. She had her feet up on the couch and her head down on the floor.

"What are you doing you crazy little monster?" I asked as I turned the T.V. off.

"Can we get a puppy?"

"No, we can't get a puppy."

This had to be the hundredth time she had asked me that in the past few months.

"Why not?"

"We can't get a puppy because I'm not here enough to house break it. I work too much."

"What does house break mean?"

"Potty train"

"I could potty train it."

Bella and I both laughed again at that.

"One, you're not here much more than I am. Two, I barely have _you_ fully potty trained, Chels. How are you going to potty train a puppy?"

"I don't know."

"Exactly" I went over to her and hoisted her up into my arms. "Come on, it's time to get ready for bed."

"But I already took a bath. Bella gave me a bath early so I didn't have to do it after you got home. I want to stay up with you." She complained as I carried her up the stairs with Bella following behind.

"Well I'm gonna brush your teeth and then Bella and I can read you a story. But after that you have to go to sleep."

"Fine, but I get to pick the story."

"Deal"

I put her down on her feet once we entered her room and she led the way into her bathroom. Bella put down the toilet lid and sat on it while Chelsea and I stood in front of the sink. I grabbed her toothbrush and toothpaste and started unscrewing the cap.

"I wanna do it, Daddy!" She said excitedly.

I knew what she was talking about so I handed her the toothpaste tube and held the toothbrush down to her.

"Don't squeeze too hard." I cautioned.

She squirted a generous amount of toothpaste onto the brush and then put the tube down on the counter. I knelt down to her level and held up the brush.

"Okay, give me a big smile."

She smiled as wide as she could, making me smile back in response. I lifted the brush to her teeth and started brushing while Bella played with one of Chelsea's curls from where she sat behind her. When I felt satisfied with my work, I turned on the faucet and filled up a disposable Dixie cup so she could rinse her mouth. When she was done I rinsed her brush and put it back in its place.

Chelsea surprisingly picked a relatively short book. Bella and I both lay on her bed and she snuggled between us while we took turns reading. She was asleep before we were even done so that was an even more pleasant surprise. We quietly slid out of her bed and I turned on her night light while Bella tucked the covers in around her. We snuck out of her room and I admired Bella's ass all the way down the stairs. As soon as we made it to the bottom step I picked her up from behind, making her squeal, and started carrying her towards my room.

"Shh" I shushed her, not wanting her to wake Chelsea.

"Well don't catch me off guard like that, then." She responded. "And put me down."

"I'll put you down when we get to my bed."

"But you're old. I don't want you to overexert yourself and not be able to perform in bed."

I laughed loudly and smacked her ass.

"Don't you worry about my performance. I promise I won't ever disappoint."

"How conceded"

"No, just confident"

When I got into my room I kicked the door shut behind me and then flicked the lock. I carried her over to the bed, tossed her down on it, and then started pulling off her pants roughly while she giggled. I finished pulling her pants off and tossed them on the floor before making quick work of my own. I kicked mine off of my feet and simultaneously pulled my shirt off in one swift movement. She followed my lead and pulled her own shirt off.

I crawled onto the bed over her and kissed my way up her stomach until I met the front clasp of her bra. I popped it open with one hand and she sat up a little so I could take it off completely. She lay back down flat on her back and lifted one hand to rub my thumb over her hard nipple, making her whimper.

"Do you like that, baby?"

"Don't tease me. I just want you inside me."

I groaned in response to her anxiousness and stood back up. I hooked my hands in the top of her panties and pulled them down her thighs. Once I got them completely off I tossed them over my shoulder and moaned quietly at the sight before me.

"Judging by the growing situation in your boxers, it looks like you want some of what you see." She said as she opened her legs to me.

"I want _all_ of what I see." I nearly growled at her.

I pushed my boxers down and off. She watched and bit her lip as my painfully hard erection sprang free.

"Looks like you want some of what you see as well." I said with a smirk.

She nodded and got up on her knees, facing me and breathing heavily. Her eyes were already heavy lidded with lust.

I sat down on the bed with my back against the headboard and opened my arms to her.

"Come here, baby girl."

She crawled over to me on her knees until she was straddling my lap. She sat down on my thighs, my erection standing up straight between us. I put one hand on her hip and one hand on the back of her neck to gently pull her lips towards mine. As soon as my lips touched hers she pushed her tongue into my mouth and locked her arms around my neck.

We made out passionately for a few minutes but my throbbing dick was an insistent reminder that I _needed_ to be inside her. I moved my right hand down so both hands were on her hips and lifted her up until she was positioned right over my tip. I started to pull her down onto me but stopped when she pulled away from my lip hesitantly and nervously bit her bottom lip.

"What's wrong?" I asked breathlessly.

"Nothing…I just…I'm not very good on top." She mumbled sheepishly.

"What makes you think that?"

This girl was so sexy there was no way she could be bad at sex…in any position. She may be a little inexperienced, but we could fix that with no problem.

"The fact that it's true makes me say that." She answered.

I studied her face carefully. What could make her so convinced that she was bad on top?

"Did somebody tell you that you were bad on top?" I asked.

"Well…maybe." She said before biting her lip again. "But that's irrelevant. The point is that it's true."

I sighed and pushed some hair away from her face, annoyed that some douche bag would tell her that. I brushed my thumb across her now slightly swollen bottom lip and looked into her big brown eyes.

"Did you ever consider that maybe whoever told you that was just bad at sex in general?"

She shook her head slightly from side to side.

"I mean," I leaned in and dipped my head down to kiss her collar bone. "_They're_ the one who couldn't make _you_ come…"

"I guess so." She said breathlessly.

I moved my lips up to kiss right underneath her ear.

"Nobody's ever made my baby come but me." I whispered against her skin.

She moaned and then, surprising me with her sudden initiative, lifted herself up and lowered herself down slowly onto my erection. I moaned into her ear and gripped her hips tightly.

"I don't know what to do…" She whispered breathlessly.

"Just do whatever feels good to you…and I promise it will feel good for me to."

She was so tight and sexy that she could have just remained sitting there and it would have felt good. Nothing that girl could do with me inside of her could possibly _not_ feel good. Just to top it all off, I was able to get so much deeper inside of her with her on top.

She started rocking her hips back and forth against me, moving in sort of a circular motion. We both moaned in unison and she tilted her head back a little.

She kept up the rocking for a while before she started lifting herself up and down on my length. I moved my hands down to her thighs and looked down to where our bodies were joined, watching myself slide in and out of her. It was quiet possibly the hottest thing I'd ever seen.

It wasn't long before both our breathing was erratic and I could feel a thin layer of sweat developing on her legs underneath my hands. The steady tightening in my lower abdomen forewarned me that my release was nearing.

"Edward…ugh…it feels so good…"

"That's all you, baby…" I said through a moan.

She whimpered and leaned forward to bury her face in my neck.

"You make me feel so sexy." She whispered. "…and powerful" She added, starting to ride me harder.

I slid my hands up her thighs and until they were firmly planted on her ass.

"You are sexy. And you are powerful." I told her breathlessly.

She moaned into my ear and her legs started shaking.

"I'm gonna come…"

"Yes," I moaned. "Come for me, baby girl."

Her legs started shaking harder and her nails dug into my shoulders. It hurt a little bit but in a way it added to my pleasure. She whimpered one last time and then cried out as she came hard, pulling my own orgasm from me. I held her trembling body tightly against me until she started coming down and relaxing against me. She kissed my neck once as her spent body slumped against mine. I rubbed my hand up and down her back lightly as we both fought to catch our breath.

"And you thought you weren't good on top." I said with a breathless laugh.

She clung to me tightly and I don't even know how long I held her. All I know is that it wasn't long enough.

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**BPOV**

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You know what they should use as punishment for uncooperative inmates at women's penitentiaries?

Trips to the gynecologist.

"Alright, Bella. You're going to feel something cold here in a moment." My doctor warned me.

"Okay."

Sure enough, a moment later some cold and foreign object was shoved inside of me. My little lady parts were _not_ happy about the intrusion.

"I'm sorry if there's any discomfort. It seems you have a slightly tilted cervix. Sometimes women with that condition find this experience a little more painful than others."

"What does that mean? Is that bad?"

"Not necessarily. You may come across complications in conceiving later on, but it by no means makes you infertile. Some women have no complications at all with a titled cervix. It just depends on the individual, really."

"Oh." I answered lamely.

"Okay, you're going to feel a slight pressure here in a moment. That's me gathering a sample from your walls."

Slight pressure my ass. That shit hurt. I winced involuntarily as she applied the 'slight pressure' which felt more like vigorous scraping.

"I'm sorry, just a couple more seconds." She said in a voice I assumed she had meant to come off as soothing.

Too bad it didn't work. My poor vagina was completely blindsided by this sudden infiltration.

"Alright, we're all done!" The doctor said cheerfully.

Thank god. I don't think my poor cooch could have taken any more abuse and to put the cherry on top…I was now experiencing a very unpleasant cramping sensation.

"Is it normal for me to feel cramps after that?"

"Yes, that's totally normal."

She removed her latex gloves and threw them away while I sat up.

"Do you have any other questions?" She asked.

"Yeah, I do actually. I'm under my Dad's insurance since I'm a minor and we just recently switched insurance plans. When I went to fill my last refill on my birth control they said my new insurance company didn't cover that brand so I ended up having to pay the whole cost myself. They gave me a list of names they do cover, though, so I was wondering if you could prescribe me one of those instead on my new prescription."

"Yeah, absolutely, that's not a problem at all. Do you have the list with you?"

"Yeah"

I got up and went over to my bag to pull out the piece of paper. I handed it to her and then waited patiently while she filled out my new prescription.

"Okay, here you go." She said as she handed it to me when she was done.

"Thank you."

I took the prescription and shoved it into my bag.

"Your urine sample came back perfectly fine so if you don't have any other questions then we're all done here."

"Nope, no more questions."

"Okay then. I'll leave you to get dressed and you can go check out with the receptionist whenever you're ready."

"Okay, thanks."

"My pleasure"

I decided then that gynecologist should never say 'my pleasure' after violating someone like that. It was just weird.

She left the room and I went to go get dressed. I was surprised by how short the whole thing was. Sure it was painful, but it lasted probably less than five minutes in the end. However, I was still grateful to have that experience behind me.

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**A/N:**

**Who else hates going to the gynecologist? **


	19. Explanations Part 1

**I own nothing other than my crazy plot ideas.**

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**BPOV**

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"Ugh…yes…Edward…Fuck me…"

"Come on, baby girl…I want you to come with me."

I was on my back with my bottom positioned at the edge of Edward's bed. He stood in front of where I lay and held my legs up, delivering to me a delicious pleasure that I was pretty sure only this man could give me. It had been two weeks since my last encounter with the wicked witch and one week and six days since my last encounter with Edward's penis. It may not sound like that long, but it felt like an eternity.

"Ah-…oh God…Edward! AHH!"

I don't know how Edward always knew how to find just the right angle, but he did...every time. I was being ridiculously loud but it didn't matter tonight. Chelsea wasn't here. The wicked witch had insisted on having her over for the night for some 'bonding time with her grandbaby'.

"Shit, Bella, you feel so fucking good…"

I loved the way Edward's voice sounded during sex. It was all raspy and hoarse and dead fucking sexy.

"UGH! Oh my…baby…I…"

I wished I could articulate exactly how good he was making me feel, but it was impossible. I was incapable of forming full sentences. All I could do was babble.

"Unh…I'm gonna come, baby…" He said through his panting.

"Yes…please…I wanna feel you come…"

With a guttural grunt he started to fill me with hot spurts. I arched my back and stretched my arms out above my head, relishing in the incredible sensation of it. With two more rough thrusts into me I came undone. The pressure in my stomach snapped and I spiraled out of control into the throws of complete ecstasy. I felt myself clamping down on him as his movements slowed until he was still inside of me, looking down at me with burning eyes.

Once we'd both come down from our orgasms, he leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to my forehead.

"I'll be right back, okay?"

I nodded and closed my eyes, focusing on catching my breath. When I felt him pull out of me I immediately missed him. I would never feel close enough t him unless he was inside me. I hummed in content as the ceiling fan blew over my overheated body.

When I felt the bed dip down next to me I opened my eyes and looked over to see Edward smiling at me.

"Hi, beautiful"

I smiled and rolled over on my stomach so half of my body was sprawled across his. He pulled me over more so I was fully on top of him and started rubbing my back lightly. I rested my head in the crook of his neck and kissed every part of his skin that I could reach without moving.

"I've missed you." I whispered against his skin.

He'd been working a lot the past couple weeks and I hadn't been able to see him very much.

"I've missed you too, baby."

I laced my fingers through his on one hand and with his other hand he started playing with my hair.

"Have things with your mom gotten any better?" I asked.

I knew that he and his mom hadn't been as close lately and even thought I didn't care for her, I did feel a little guilty that I was the cause.

"Yeah, I mean, we haven't been fighting or anything. Things stay peaceful. We just don't talk about you much."

"I just don't know why she hates me so much."

"It's not about you, babe. She's just being over-bearing. She just doesn't understand the depth of my feelings for you. She doesn't see this as a potentially permanent thing and therefore in her eyes it's irresponsible to be letting Chelsea get so attached to you."

I ghosted my hand over his side where I knew Chelsea's birth date was tattooed on him.

"Do _you_ see this as a potentially permanent thing?" I asked, barely above a whisper.

"I already told you that I want in you in Chelsea's life permanently."

"Yeah, but what about me and you?"

He waited a moment before answering and I wondered what he was thinking.

"I think we _could_ be permanent. And I hope it works out that way. I can most definitely see a future with you."

"I can see a future with you too." I told him honestly.

Now that I'd had Edward I couldn't imagine ever wanting anyone else.

"I mean, it's no secret that I was hesitant at first to get involved with you. My initial concern was that you're eighteen and still have a lot of growing to do and therefore I worried that you couldn't possibly know what you want in life yet. But then I realized that no matter what age we are, we never _stop _growing. And just because you're young that doesn't mean that we can't grow together. You're a strong young woman. I think you have a pretty clear idea what it is you want."

"I _do_ know what I want." I said confidently.

The truth was that I wanted him.

He turned his head to the side and tilted my chin up so he could touch his lips to mine.

"I want to give you everything you want." He whispered against my mouth.

"I want to give you everything you want, too." I answered.

He kissed my lips softly and then took my bottom lip between his teeth. I was about to shift myself up for a deeper kiss when I felt his stomach growl underneath me, making us both laugh.

"I guess that work out left me a little famished." He said after releasing my lip.

"There's leftover pizza from dinner in the fridge…" I said suggestively.

"Say no more. You stay here. I'll be right back."

He rolled me off of him gently and then got up and pulled his boxers on. He left the room and I got up to go to the bathroom and clean myself up a little bit. When I was done I went back out to the bedroom and put on my panties along with Edward's shirt. I grabbed the remote and flicked on the T.V. as I crawled into bed and under the covers.

Edward came back in a minute later with the pizza box and two bottles of beer. He tossed the box on the bed and handed me one of the bottles as he climbed into bed next to me.

"I hope you like cold pizza." He said.

"Well aren't we classy…drinking beer and eating pizza in bed."

He flashed me a gorgeous smile and leaned in to peck my lips.

"Once again…I seem to be a bad influence on you."

"You really are. I should stop hanging around you."

"Mm…you'll never get away from me." He said with a smirk, leaning in for another kiss.

"Well that wasn't creepy or anything."

He laughed and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear.

"Come on…don't pretend you ever _want_ to get away from me."

I leaned in to him and kissed just the right spot on his throat that I knew would make him squirm.

"Never" I whispered against his skin.

"I'm gonna hold you to that." He whispered back.

"I hope you do." I answered.

We ate our pizza and drank our beer in bed while we flipped through late night talk shows on T.V. We talked and goofed around some more, but even when we were quiet it felt nice just to _be_ with him. Just being in his presence was a comfort to me. I wanted this forever. I wished we could do this every night. I'd been in relationships before, but nothing compared to the way I felt when I was with Edward. Everything felt more real, and therefore scarier. Although I felt like I'd known Edward for an incredibly long time, the reality was that I hadn't. And it was a little daunting to know that he had such a hold on me already.

When we were done eating Edward took the trash out while I got up and tried to brush all of the crumbs that I could out of the bed. When he came back we crawled back under the covers and back into our little cocoon. He turned off the T.V. and then pulled me into the circle of his arms.

"I always sleep so good when I sleep with you…" I said through a yawn as I curled into his side.

"Me too…but my favorite part is waking up next to you."

He hooked his hand under the back of my knee and pulled my leg up until it was hitched over his waist. He then rested his hand on my thigh and rubbed small circles on my skin with his thumb.

"Can I ask you a question?" I asked him as a random thought popped into my mind.

"Go for it."

"Has Chelsea ever asked you about her mom?"

He sighed and paused a moment before answering. I listened to the sound of his heart beat in his chest while I waited.

"Not really. The only thing she's ever mentioned about it is telling the other kids at preschool that she doesn't have a mom."

His voice was quiet and sounded pained.

"I wish she didn't have to go through that." I said.

"Me neither. I hate it. But instead of getting angry about it I just try to remember that she's better off without Tanya anyway."

"That's a good way of looking at it, babe. You provide for her and give her so much love and affection. I don't think she's missing out on anything."

"I guess so. I'm sure she'll have more questions though sometime. And I don't know what I'm gonna tell her when she wants the whole story. How do you tell your child that her mother didn't want her?"

"I don't know." I told him honestly. "But I would imagine that knowing she has an amazing Daddy who would do anything for her would make the whole thing easier."

"I hope so."

"She knows how much you love her, I know that much."

He laughed softly and I looked up at him.

"She certainly does. And she uses it to her advantage quiet frequently."

I laughed and lifted one of my arms to wrap around his neck, pulling myself closer.

"I seriously think she's the cutest kid I've ever met." I said

"Yeah, well, she takes after her Daddy."

I laughed again and kissed the side of his neck.

"You're not cute…you're sexy." I told him.

He smiled and turned his head to face me and touch his forehead to mine.

"I guess being cute is your job, huh?"

"And I'm damn good at it, aren't I?"

"Yes you are, baby."

"Oh! I meant to ask you something earlier." I said, remembering a conversation I'd had with Alice earlier that day.

"What's that?"

"Alice said she and Jasper were bummed they didn't get to party with us on New Years since we don't go out very much, so they're thinking we should all go out and do something this week."

"Oh, yeah, Jasper mentioned something about it to me."

"Well do you think you'd want to go?"

"Yeah it will have to be Thursday, though. I work every other day."

"Okay. Well I'll call Alice tomorrow and try to make plans."

We spent a little while longer talking and kissing until we both started yawning frequently and our eyes became heavy. I scooted back down a little bit until my head was resting on his chest again. I listened to the rhythm of his heart and the slowing of his breathing until my own breathing slowed and I drifted off to sleep in my favorite place in the world.

Edward's arms.

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I was awoken out of my peaceful slumber by an obnoxious and loud noise coming from somewhere in the room. In my disoriented and sleepy state, it took me a few moments to realize that it was the ringtone on my cell phone. I felt Edward stir and then heard him groan quietly as he started to wake up. I forced my eyes open to look at the alarm clock. It was ten minutes until two AM.

"What is that?" Edward asked, his voice thick with sleep.

"It's my phone. Just ignore it." I answered.

The noise stopped a moment later and I closed my eyes again. I sighed in contentment and snuggled closer to him. He tightened his arms around me and nuzzled his face into my hair.

Another moment later, my phone rang again. I groaned in annoyance. Who the hell was calling me at two in the morning?

"Just get up and turn it off, baby." Edward mumbled.

I sighed and forced myself out of bed. I went over to where my bag sat on a chair across the room and fished my phone out of it. I felt my eyebrows furrow together in confusion when I looked at the caller I.D.

It was Rosalie.

I didn't know why Rosalie would be calling me at all, much less at two O'clock in the morning. Although we were both still staying at our shared apartment, we hadn't spoken to each other at all. She hadn't apologized to me yet for being a total bitch and I sure as shit wasn't going to initiate conversation with her. The thought crossed my mind that maybe that's what she was calling for…an apology. However, I didn't see why she would call for that in the middle of the night.

"Hello?" I answered groggily.

"B-Bella?"

I knew Rose well and I could tell immediately from her voice that she was crying.

"Uh…yeah?"

"I-I-I need you to c-c-come and get me. I can't g-g-get a hold of anyone else."

My best friend instincts immediately kicked in. Even though we were fighting and she had been complete bitch to me, I still loved her. And I still cared about her safety. The fact that she was crying was what made me worry. Rosalie never cried.

"Why? What's going on? Are you okay?"

"N-n-no…its J-J-James"

When she mentioned James I only grew more worried.

"What are you talking about, Rose? What happened?"

"I-I tried to tell him that w-w-were done and he…he fucking h-h-hit me."

"He _what?_"

"P-P-Please come and g-g-get me. I have to get out of h-h-here. I'm at a hotel. And h-h-he's in the room. I locked m-m-myself in the bathroom to get a-a-away from him."

I immediately went to turn on the light and then started racing around the room, looking for my jeans.

"Edward, get up." I said in the direction of the bed.

If James was still there I certainly wasn't going by myself. Edward gave me a confused look but got out of bed and started pulling his clothes on.

"B-Bella?"

"Yeah, I'm here. I'm getting dressed right now. Where are you?"

"I-I'm at the H-Hyatt hotel on W-Wellborn road in room 427."

"Okay. I know where that is. Don't move, okay? I'll be there as fast as I possibly can. And I'm bringing Edward. Stay in that bathroom and don't open the door, okay?"

"O-Okay"

I snapped my phone shut and started digging in my bag for my keys. My car was parked behind Edward's so we would have to take mine.

"Bella, what's going on?" Edward asked, looking concerned.

"Rosalie's locked in a bathroom at a fucking hotel because some guy just fucking hit her…and he's still there."

I could hear the franticness in my voice.

"Hit her as in like, punched her?"

"I don't know, Edward. All she told me was that he hit her. She's hysterical."

"Give me your keys. I'm driving."

I expected his voice to be frantic like mine, but I wasn't expecting it to be so dark and sinister the way it actually was. I looked over at him to find that he was shoving his feet into his shoes. His back was turned to me so I couldn't see his face. I finished getting dressed and then slid my sandals on and went over to him. He turned to take my keys from me but didn't look me in the eye or say anything.

As soon as he had my keys he turned and stormed out of the room. He was walking so fast I literally had to jog alongside him to keep up. We went out the front door and he didn't even bother locking it behind us. We hurried over to the driveway and he opened the driver side door of my car so forcefully I was afraid he was going to rip it off of the fucking hinges. He had the car started and in reverse before I even had my door shut.

"Where is she?"

"The Hyatt hotel on Wellborn road."

He backed out of the driveway haphazardly and then floored it down the street. He put so much force on the accelerator it was making my engine roar. I looked over at him to find a menacing expression on his face. He was staring straight forward but his eyes looked distant. His hand was gripped so tightly on the steering wheel that his knuckles looked white.

When we pulled out of his neighborhood I realized exactly how fast he was going. It was a wide margin higher than the speed limit.

"Baby, slow down" I said softly.

He made no move to answer me or decrease his speed. Judging by the look on his face and the vibe he was giving off, I decided not to say anything else.

I knew that it was disgusting for any man to ever hit a woman, but I was surprised by how strongly Edward was reacting to the situation. He looked like a man with a mission…a lethal mission.

When we got to the hotel he turned so fast into a parking space it made my tires screech. He got out of the car and slammed his door before walking towards the front entrance of the hotel. I got out and followed after him, once again jogging to keep up.

"Did she give you a room number?" He asked in an icy tone.

"427" I answered.

We walked through the automatic sliding front doors and right past a deserted front desk on our way to the elevators. Edward hit the up button roughly and thank goodness the doors opened right away. We hurried inside where he once again roughly hit the button up to the fourth floor. We rode the elevator in silence because honestly, I was afraid to say anything.

When the doors opened we got out and Edward hurried down the hall. When he got to room 427, he pounded on the door three times with his fist.

The door swung open to reveal James.

"Is this the guy?" Edward said, directed at me.

"Yeah" I squeaked nervously.

I'd met James once in my life so I was able to accurately identify him.

As soon as Edward had my confirmation he wound his arm back and punched James hard, square in the jaw.

"What the fuck!" James yelled as he fell backwards on the ground.

Edward moved into the room and crouched over him, delivering punch after punch to his face.

"Edward!" I yelled in shock.

I'd brought Edward with me for protection in case James tried to start something with me or Rosalie. I sure as _hell _wasn't expecting him to come and start beating the shit out of him.

"Oh my God!" I heard Rosalie scream from inside of the room.

I remember in my peripheral vision seeing people in their pajamas coming out of the surrounding rooms, but I was too focused on Edward to pay them any attention. I ran over to him and pulled on the back of his shirt, trying to pry him away from James.

James suddenly reached out and threw a punch of his own in Edward's face, making him stumble backwards and knock me to the ground.

"Are you alright, ma'am?" Some man asked me as he helped me off of the ground.

I looked over at the man and looked him up and down. He was a big guy, he could help me.

"Yes, I'm fine. Just please…try and break them up." I begged, gesturing to Edward who was once again crouched over James in the doorway.

"Hey!"

Before the man I'd asked for help could do anything, a security guard came barreling down the hallway and over to us.

"Oh my God…" I mumbled to myself.

Could this situation get any worse?

"Hey! Come on, break it up!" The security guard yelled as he reached Edward and James.

He pulled Edward away from James and shoved him away. Once Edward was out of the way he bent over James to see if he was alright. There was blood everywhere. It was all over the floor and all over Edward's hand.

I could hear police sirens approaching outside of the hotel.

I marched right over to Edward and pushed him up against the wall behind him. Now that I could see his face I saw that his lip was busted. He didn't even look at me, he kept his eyes looked on James with a frightening scowl. His chest was rising up and down with his heavy breathing.

"Edward, what the fuck were you _thinking_?"

No answer.

I was still completely caught off guard by the whole situation. I was just expecting us to come and rescue Rosalie, but now Edward was probably going to get arrested.

"Edward, look at me." I said sternly as I took his chin and turned his face towards me.

He finally did look at me, but he didn't say anything. His eyes looked dark and distant.

"You need to calm down." I told him as he lifted his shirt and wiped the blood from his mouth.

"Alright, what's going on here?" A new voice asked.

I turned to the side to see two police officers walking down the hallway.

"I want to press assault charges against this motherfucker!" James yelled, pointing at Edward, as he got up off of the floor.

"Then I'm pressing assault charges against you, you fucking prick!" Rosalie said as she came out of the room.

I had momentarily forgotten she was even in there. Her shirt was ripped and she had the beginning signs of a black eye.

"Oh my God, Rose! Are you okay?" I asked as I left Edward to go over to her.

"Rosie, stop it." James said to her. "You just need to calm down. Let's not do anything rash."

"No James, fuck you!" She shot back.

I was proud of her.

When I got to her I turned her face to the side to get a better look at her eye. He must have hit her pretty hard.

"You asshole!" I said, turning to James. "Who the hell hits a _girl_ like that?"

"This man is the person who hit you, ma'am?" One of the police officers asked Rosalie, gesturing to James.

"Yes, and I want to press charges." She said confidently.

"And I'm pressing charges against him." James said, gesturing to Edward.

"Go ahead, you piece of shit." Edward said to him, his voice full of venom.

It was the first time I'd heard him speak through the whole thing.

"Alright, look." The officer started authoritatively. "We're gonna get this young lady's statement first, and then we want a statement from both of you." He said, pointing at James and then Edward. "I want you both to wait here in the hallway. You sit on opposites with your backs against the wall. I want one of you on one end of the hall and one on the other. Don't talk to each other and don't look at each other."

"Do you want me to go with you?" I asked Rosalie.

"No, I'll be okay." She answered with a small smile.

"We're just gonna go back into the room here." The officer said to her.

Rosalie accompanied the two officers and the security guard into the room while Edward and James both moved to the positions they had been instructed to. I went over to Edward and knelt down in front of where he sat.

"Are you okay?" I asked, reaching out to touch his lip.

He jerked away from my touch and once again wouldn't look at me.

"Bella, please just…don't touch me right now."

_Excuse me?_

He was the one who had gotten us into a bigger mess than necessary, and now he was going to be an asshole to _me_?

I'd never seen anything that would ever make me think Edward might have anger problems, but now I was starting to wonder.

I stared at him for a minute in disbelief and then went to go sit against the wall a few feet away. Edward, James, and I all sat silently in the hallway for about fifteen minutes while Rosalie gave her statement. I made no move to look at Edward or speak to him. I was hurt and angry that he was being so cold to me. If anything, I should be the one that was pissed off at him.

When Rosalie came out she walked right over to me and the officer called James inside. She sat down next to me and for the first time since I'd gotten here, it was a little awkward. With all of the drama and violence going on, I'd almost forgotten that we were fighting. Now that we were both sitting here in the quiet hallway, however, I remembered.

"Thank you for coming to get me." She said in a small voice after a moment of awkward silence.

"Of course I came."

"You're a good friend."

"Thanks. I'm sorry that you had to go through this. And I'm glad that you're alright."

"Thanks."

We sat there quietly for about ten minutes before James came out. He looked furious and had his hands handcuffed behind his back. They positioned him against the wall and one officer remained with him.

"Alright, you" The other officer said, pointing at Edward. "Come on."

Edward got up and followed him into the room. The officer shut the door behind them.

"I can't believe you're doing this to me, Rosalie." James called over to us.

"Quiet." The officer said to him sternly.

"You did this to yourself, James." Rosalie said in a calm voice.

"Officer?" I asked nervously. "Is that man in there going to be arrested?"

"He's having charges pressed against him so yes. He will be taken into custody."

"Are you serious?" Rosalie asked, sounding shocked. "But he was just coming to help me!"

"The problem with that is that he threw the first punch."

"No he didn't. James threw the first punch…at me!"

"I understand that ma'am, and that's why this gentleman is also being taken into custody. But instead of trying to handle the situation himself, the police should have been called. Coming in here and starting a fist fight was not the appropriate way to respond to your altercation."

Rosalie looked pissed, but the officer was right. Edward handled everything about this situation the completely wrong way and I was pretty pissed off about it. Edward was a thirty year old grown ass man, but he was acting like he was in high school. I'd never seen Edward act so immature before.

Sure enough, Edward came out a moment later with his hands handcuffed behind his back.

"You girls are free to go." The officer told us. "If you want any information on bail for either of these two you can call the station to check on their status."

I looked at Edward and gave him the iciest glare I could manage. I couldn't believe how irresponsible he was being. I hoped he felt like shit for getting himself arrested.

"I need my keys."

"Her keys are in my pocket." He said to the officer.

The officer reached into his pocket, extracted my keys, and tossed them to me.

"Come on Rose, let's go." I said, standing up.

She stood up with me and looked at Edward apologetically.

"Edward I'm sorry that you go – " She started to apologize but I cut her off.

"Don't apologize to him, Rose. He did this to himself. He obviously has responsibility issues."

I took Rosalie's hand and led her down the hall to the elevators without even another glance at Edward. We rode the elevator down, exited the hotel, and walked over to my car in complete silence. I was so mad about Edward's behavior. Not only was he out of line for beating the shit out of James, but I didn't understand why he had to brush me off like that.

"Please don't be too pissed off at Edward." Rosalie said softly when we got into my car.

"How can I not be, Rose?"

"But he was only trying to defend a woman being hit by some asshole. It came from a good place, Bells."

"That's not all, though. When you were in the room I tried to see if he was okay and he literally told me not to touch him."

"He did?"

"Yeah. He wouldn't even look at me."

"Well maybe he was just still pissed off and didn't want to be an asshole to you."

"If he was trying not to be an asshole to me then he did a really shitty job."

"Well I don't know what his problem is then."

We stayed quiet the rest of the way to our apartment. It didn't go unnoticed by me that still hadn't apologized for our own fight, but I let it go for the time being. I'm sure she was still shaken up and I could completely understand if she wasn't even thinking about that at the moment. I did know, however, that we _would_ have to talk about it at some point.

When we got to our apartment complex I pulled up next to the stairs that led up to our door.

"You're not coming up?" She asked.

"I need to go back to Edward's and get my stuff. I'll be back though in a little while. Will you be okay alone for a bit?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine." She said as she opened her door.

"Alright. I'll be back soon. Put some ice on that eye."

"Okay. Thanks for coming to get my, Bells. It means a lot to me that you were there."

"You're welcome."

"See you later."

"Okay."

She got out and then shut the door. I watched to make sure she made it inside okay and then took off to head back to Edward's house.

As I drove I took out my phone and dialed my Dad's house number. I didn't want to wake him and I was sure that he wouldn't be happy to find out that the man I was dating was a violent and belligerent inmate…but I needed his help. I needed to get Edward out as soon as possible. Not for my sake, but for Chelsea's. I knew he was supposed to pick her up from his mother's house in the morning so she could make an important brunch appointment and I needed to get Edward home in time for him to be there. I didn't want anyone to have to explain to Chelsea why her Daddy was in jail and I knew that if anyone could help me when it came to police business, it was my Dad.

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**A/N**

**This is another two-parter.**

**Just trust me. Please. There is a reason for Edward acting the way he is. **

**Some of you asked why I included the trip to the gyno last chapter because it seemed random but it did have significance, I promise. And no, I'm not going to tell you what it is. I was surprised not very many people picked up on it.**

**Two people have asked me if Chelsea is ever going to call Bella mommy and the answer is I honestly don't know. If she does it won't be for awhile. **

**Yes, Pretty Pretty Princess is a real game. And it's awesome.**

**For those who have been asking me when NJAA will be updated…hopefully soon. I have most of the new chap written I'm just not very happy with it. I'm very very picky about the quality of writing I will post to that story because it's my baby so I guess I'm just being too much of a perfectionist :/**

**A couple people asked if this story is going to be wrapping up soon and the answer….**

**Not even close :)**

**I have 917 reviews right at this moment and I have complete faith that we can break 1000 on this chapter! Get to work, my loves!**

**Jenna**


	20. Expalantions Part 2

**WARNING: PLEASE READ…**

**I just want to remind you all that this story includes very mature themes, particularly in the upcoming chapters. I am aware that I have some young readers and I just hope that you all use your better judgment on regarding if you are mature enough continue reading. This **_**is**_** rated M for a reason, particularly from here on out. We're sort of entering a new chapter in the bigger picture. **

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**I own everything…JK :)**

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_**Previously…**_

_As I drove I took out my phone and dialed my Dad's house number. I didn't want to wake him and I was sure that he wouldn't be happy to find out that the man I was dating was a violent and belligerent inmate…but I needed his help. I needed to get Edward out as soon as possible. Not for my sake, but for Chelsea's. I knew he was supposed to pick her up from his mother's house in the morning so she could make an important brunch appointment and I needed to get Edward home in time for him to be there. I didn't want anyone to have to explain to Chelsea why her Daddy was in jail and I knew that if anyone could help me when it came to police business, it was my Dad._

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**BPOV**

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"Hello?" My Dad answered, sounding barely conscious.

"Hey Dad, its Bella"

"Bella? What's going on? Are you okay?" He asked, sounding much more alert all of the sudden.

"I'm fine, Dad. Don't freak out."

"Well if you're fine then why the hell are you calling me in the middle of night?"

"Because I need your help"

"With what? What happened?"

"Do you happen to have any buddies in the police department here?"

"Yeah" He answered, sounding suspicious now. "The guy I replaced as chief here transferred up there. Why?"

Finally it seemed that some luck was coming my way.

"Well…I need to get someone out of jail."

"Jesus, Bells. What the hell did you get yourself into?"

"Edward got arrested tonight."

"Edward as in that older guy you're seeing? Geez, Bella. I told you I had a bad feeling about him."

"It's really not as bad as it sounds, Dad. But I really need to get him out. Do you think you could call up your buddy and talk to him for me?"

I hoped that he would be cooperative without too much of an explanation. I still hadn't told him that Edward had a daughter so I didn't want to tell my Dad the reason I needed Edward out was so he could get to Chelsea in the morning and no one would have to tell her that he was in jail. I would have just bailed Edward out myself, but I really couldn't afford it.

"What's he in for?"

"Uh…"

I really didn't want to answer that.

"Bella, if you want me to even consider helping you then you're gonna have to tell me."

"Assault"

"My God, Bells. This story just keeps getting worse and worse."

"But I told you. It's really not as bad as it sounds."

"Bella, I can't just call the chief up and ask him to release someone in on an assault charge just because he's dating my daughter. Now, I think we need to talk about this Edward kid. I don't think I want you seeing him anymore, Bells."

"He's not a bad guy, Dad. He's only in there on assault because he was helping Rosalie."

"He was helping Rosalie fight someone?"

"No. Rosalie got hit by a guy and so Edward got really pissed and started beating him up. I don't think he was thinking clearly."

"Wait, Rosalie got assaulted by a man?"

"Yeah, isn't that messed up? Edward was just really pissed off about it and h–"

He cut me off before I could finish my sentence.

"Did they take in the other guy too?"

"Yeah, Rose is pressing charges against him."

"Good. Son of a bitch needs to learn a lesson."

I had to hold back laughter at that. Even in this fucked up situation, it was still hilarious to hear my Dad call someone a son of a bitch. That didn't happen often, only when he was really pissed.

"Yeah, well, Edward thought so too…except _he_ decided to show him that lesson with his fist. The other guy pressed charges against him and he got arrested."

"Oh man, that is a really sticky situation…"

"It is. And I know he could have handled it better, but in his eyes I think he was trying to do the right thing."

He was quiet for a long time and I waited patiently, hoping that he was being swayed.

"Alright I'll try to give him a call, but I can't make any promises."

"Thank you! I really appreciate, Dad."

"Yeah, well, it sounds like this boy had good intentions so I'll do what I can to try and help him out."

"Thank you." I said again.

"I'll call you back after I talk to him."

"Okay. Love you."

"Love you too."

Around the same time I hung up with my Dad, I pulled into Edward's driveway. I went inside, made my way into the bedroom, and plopped down on the bed. It was weird being in the house alone. It was the first time I'd ever been there without Edward or Chelsea.

I wished I knew what Edward had been thinking when he decided that beating the shit out of James was the right way to handle the situation. We all knew that what James did was wrong, but I didn't understand why he'd lost his cool so easily. The fact that he'd acted so rash without considering the consequences brought to light a seemingly immature side of Edward that I wasn't sure I liked. Up until now he'd always seemed so collected and composed, but tonight he seemed like a completely different person.

I hoped he was realizing all of this while he sat in that jail cell. Maybe some time to himself would do him some good. I also hoped he was realizing the way he had treated me.

Edward's actions with James were only half of the reason I was upset with him. I was even more upset with the fact that he gave me the brush off when I tried to talk to him and sort the whole mess out. Not only would he not let me touch him, but he wouldn't even look at me. It hurt that he had been so cold to me, especially because I didn't know that Edward. My Edward was always warm and affectionate.

Rosalie now wasn't the only one who owed me an apology.

I jumped a little when my phone started vibrating in my hand. I looked at the caller I.D. to see that it was my Dad so I answered immediately.

"Hey, Dad"

"Hey, Bells. Lucky for Edward, Chief Evans is working through the night tonight so he was there when I called."

"Oh, really? What did he say?"

"Well, he couldn't let Edward completely off the hook because he'd already been booked. He did feel bad for him, though…said that other guy had it coming to him."

"So that's all? He couldn't do anything?"

"Well he did cut his bail down a generous chunk. And since I feel bad for Edward and respect that he was trying to defend Rosalie against the son of a bitch, I paid it myself."

"Wait, you already paid the bail?" I asked, shocked.

"Yeah, I gave him my card number over the phone."

"Oh, wow, Dad. That was, like...really cool of you."

I couldn't believe that my Dad had paid the bail of my boyfriend he hadn't even met yet, but I was thankful he did.

"He said as soon as you get there to pick him up he'll release him."

"Alright, well I better get going then. Thanks, Dad. I seriously appreciate it and I know Edward will too."

"One more thing, Bells. You've been seeing this Edward guy for awhile now. If you're getting serious about him, then I want to meet him."

I sighed and ran my hand through my hair. I didn't need to think about Edward meeting my Dad right now on top of all the other shit going on.

"Can I call you tomorrow to talk about this, Dad? I'm really tired and I just want to get all of this resolved."

"Sure, Hon. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Alright, Dad. Thanks for everything."

"Sure thing. Love you."

"Love you too."

I hung up with my Dad but instead of getting up to go and get Edward, I scrolled through the contacts list on my phone to find Jasper's number. I was too mad at Edward to go and get him myself. It may have been a petty reason to call Jasper and wake him up, but I didn't care. Although I needed to get Edward out for Chelsea's sake…I really didn't want to see him.

When I found Jasper's number I hit the call button and then waited for it to start ringing. It rang five times and just when I thought it was going to go to voicemail, a sleepy sounding Jasper answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey Jasper, it's Bella."

"Yeah I saw that on my caller I.D. What's up? Is something wrong?"

"Yeah, actually, I need your help."

"With what? Is it Chelsea?"

"No, she's fine. She's with Edward's mom. It's Edward."

"What's wrong with Edward?"

"He got arrested."

"_Arrested?_ What the fuck happened?"

This is why I had called Jasper. I would have preferred to have called Emmett since I felt closer to him, but I didn't want to have to explain to him that Edward got arrested for beating up some guy that Rosalie had been sleeping with.

"It's kind of a long story. But he's in on an assault charge."

"_Assault?_ That doesn't sound like Edward. What the hell did he do?"

"Well…Rosalie was stuck at a hotel with some guy who hit her. So she called me to come and get her and since the guy who hit her was still there, I took Edward with me. Apparently he was _really_ pissed off about the whole thing because as soon as he got face to face with that guy, Edward just starting beating the shit out of him."

"Oh shit…" Jasper muttered.

"Yeah. And so Rosalie pressed charges against the guy who hit her and that guy pressed charges against Edward for hitting him, and then they both got arrested. So now Edward's sitting in jail. I already took care of the bail and everything but I need you to go and get him because I just don't want to see him right now."

"Why don't you want to see him?"

"One, because he handled the situation like an immature and impulsive child. Two, because he was a complete asshole to me. He would barely even speak to or look at me and when he did talk it was only to tell me not to touch him."

There was silence on the other line for a long time.

"Hello?" I finally asked.

"Yeah, I'm here, sorry. Look Bella, please don't be too pissed off at Edward, okay?"

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" I asked, frustrated. "How can I not be pissed off at him? He handled the situation the completely wrong way."

"I know he did, but…" His sentence trailed off in a sigh.

"But what?"

"Edward just has a very low tolerance for guys who hit girls."

"Well so does everyone else in the world. Everyone knows it's wrong, but that's no excuse for acting like a child."

"I know that everyone knows it's wrong and I know that it's no excuse, but Edward has an _especially_ low tolerance for guys who beat up on women."

"What do you mean?"

"It's a long story and I really can't explain because it's not my place to tell you, but you need to talk to Edward about it."

I was curious as to what Jasper was talking about, but I was too tired and pissed off to give it too much thought at the moment. And besides, I couldn't think of anything that would justify Edward's behavior.

"I know that I need to talk to him but I'm too tired and pissed off to do it tonight or even see him for that matter. So will you please just go and get him and make sure he gets home alright so he can go get Chelsea in the morning? That's the only reason I'm helping him out. I don't want anyone to have to explain to her why her Daddy is in fucking jail."

"Yeah I'll go get him, but you have to promise me that you'll talk to him about it later and give him the chance to explain."

"Yeah, I'll hear him out. I promise."

"Alright. Is he at the station here in town?"

"Yeah"

"Okay, I'm leaving now."

"Thanks. And Jasper?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you tell him not to call me until tomorrow? I just don't want to deal with this right now."

"Yeah, I'll tell him."

"Thank you."

"No problem."

"Goodnight."

"Night, Bella."

I hung up with Jasper and then hopped off of Edward's bed and started getting my stuff together. As I walked back through the entry way on my way to the front door, a picture of Chelsea and Edward sitting on a side table caught my eye. I paused and looked at it with a frustrated sigh. Edward looked like his normal self, so happy and loving. I really didn't understand what had gotten into him tonight.

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**EPOV**

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"She's really pissed, man. And I would be too if I were her. She doesn't understand where all of this is coming from."

I sighed and shifted in my seat uncomfortably. I wasn't surprised that Bella hadn't come to pick me up herself. I knew that she would be mad, and she had every right to be. I knew that I'd been an asshole to her but I was in a bad place after she told me what had happened to Rosalie and I just couldn't handle interacting with her.

"I seriously don't want to talk about this right now, Jazz."

"Yeah, well, you better fix this tomorrow. She deserves an explanation."

"Yeah, okay. I'll think about all of this tomorrow. I just want to get whatever sleep I can before I have to get up and go get Chelsea."

"Okay."

I opened up my door and got out of Jaspers car which was parked in my driveway.

"Who paid my bail?" I asked, wanting to know who to compensate.

"I'm assuming Bella did. All she said was that she took care of it."

"Do you know how much it was?"

"Nope"

"Okay, well, thanks for the ride. I'll call you tomorrow."

"Alright, good luck."

"Thanks"

"Oh, wait…one more thing." He said suddenly

"What?"

"Bella asked me to tell you not to call her until tomorrow."

"Great…" I mumbled.

I shut the car door behind me and made my way up the sidewalk to the front door. It was unlocked. I assumed Bella left it that way since she knew I didn't have my keys. Part of me hoped that I would find Bella waiting for me inside, but a bigger part of me knew that she wouldn't be.

Sure enough, when I walked in and throughout the downstairs I found that nobody was there. Somehow, the house felt emptier than ever.

I walked into my bedroom and stripped down to my boxers. I was exhausted and unfortunately I would only be able to sleep for about three hours before I had to get up and get ready to go get Chelsea.

I set the alarm on my phone and then put it on my nightstand and plopped down on the bed, pulling the blankets up around me. I grabbed the pillow that Bella had been sleeping on and pulled it over to me, inhaling the scent. The lingering fragrance of Bella was only a small comfort when I knew that she was pissed at me.

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My short night of sleep was not a good one. When I woke up in the morning I somehow felt even more tired than when I went to bed. I wanted to get to Bella's as fast as I could and beg for her forgiveness, but I had to tend to Chelsea first.

I forced myself out of bed and into the bathroom to shower. I used cold water, hoping that it would help wake me up a bit, but all it did was irritate me. I got dressed hastily and then ventured out into the cold to head to my mom's house.

While I drove I couldn't seem to think about anything else other than Bella. I hoped that she would at least give me the chance to explain, but I wasn't even sure what I would say to her if she did. In order to give her the full and true explanation, I would have to bring up things that I had suppressed for years. I didn't even know if I could do that.

I pulled up in my mom's driveway and got out of the car with a long sigh of exhaustion. I just wanted this whole mess to be over with. I walked up to the front door and knocked…because I didn't just walk into people's homes like my mother did.

The door swung open and there stood Chelsea, beaming up at me. If anything could have made me feel better at that moment, it was the smile of my beautiful little girl.

"It's Daddy!" She sang happily as I bent over to lift her into my arms.

"Hi, princess. I missed you." I said, kissing the top of her head.

"I missed you too." She said, wrapping her arms around my neck in a tight hug.

I closed my eyes and hugged her back just as tightly. The love of my daughter could make me feel better in any situation.

"Hello, son"

I opened my eyes to see my mom approaching us.

"Hey, mom. How was she?"

"Oh she was fabulous as always."

"Good." I said, giving my daughter an appreciative smile. "Are you ready to go?" I asked her. "I have a lot to do today and Grandma's got to get ready for her brunch."

"Okay but we have to go get baby Bella from the living room." She told me.

"Go get any toys you brought over here." I said as I put her down on her feet.

She ran off towards the living room and I turned to my mom. She picked up the pink bag I'd brought over here with Chelsea and handed it to me.

"Her clothes from yesterday and pajamas are already in here." She told me.

"Thanks" I said as I took it from her.

"So what did you do last night with your free time?" She asked curiously.

"Nothing really. I just hung out with Bella."

I definitely didn't want to tell her I had gotten arrested if I could avoid, but technically I still wasn't lying. That whole incident had actually happened early this morning. So the previous night I really hadn't done anything but hang out with Bella.

"Oh, well, that's nice."

Although my mom still wasn't very enthused about me spending time with Bella, she had stopped making snide remarks about her for the most part.

"Yeah" I mumbled solemnly.

"So when do you need me to take Chelsea next? I don't know what your upcoming work schedule is."

"Uh…I don't know when I'm gonna need you yet, actually. Can I call you tonight and let you know?"

"Yes, that will be fine."

The truth was that I didn't know when I would need her because I didn't know if Bella was going to forgive me or not. She was supposed to come over and spend the night that following Wednesday while I worked, but I didn't know if that was going to happen now.

Chelsea came back over to us a moment later holding her stuffed giraffe, a blanket, and a couple of books.

"Okay, I'm ready Daddy."

My mom went over to give her a hug and a kiss. They said their goodbyes and then I did the same and led Chelsea out of the house. After putting her bag in the front seat I took her other things that she had been holding and did the same with them. I then opened up the back door for her and she climbed up into her car seat, strapping herself in like a pro. I shut the door for her and while I walked around to the driver side I took out my phone to text Jasper.

"_any way u could come & stay with chels for a little while? I want to go tlk to bella."_

I put my phone back into my pocket and got into the car. As I started it and put it in reverse I glanced into the review mirror at Chelsea.

"Did you have fun with Grandma?"

"Yes"

"What did you do?"

I should have known that would open the floodgates.

"Well," She started with a deep breath. "we made cookies and then we ate dinner while we waited for them to not be hot anymore and then I colored while Grandma cleaned and then we ate some cookies and then we played a game that Grandma had and then she gave me a bath and we watched a movie and then we read a book and I went to sleep and then this morning Grandma made me breakfast and I colored again and I wrote my name for her and then we looked at pictures of me when I was a little baby and I was really cute, Daddy."

"You were really cute." I agreed with a small laugh. "You still are cute."

"Daddy?"

"Yeah?"

"What are we going to do today? Is Bella going to come over?"

I sighed, not knowing how to answer that.

"How about this afternoon we do something fun just the two of us?"

"Like what?"

"I don't know. What would you like to do?"

"I want to go to the puppy store."

"We can go look at the puppies, but we're not bringing one home."

"Can we go eat ice cream, too?"

"We can go get ice cream after the puppy store if you're good while we're there and don't beg me to bring one home."

"Fine, I'll be good."

"Nice negotiating with you." I said with small laugh.

"What does negobiating mean?"

"Uh," I started, trying to think of how to phrase it so that she would understand. "It's means to make a deal with someone. Like saying if I give you something, then you'll give me this back. Like I said if you're good at the puppy store, then I will take you to go get ice cream."

"Daddy?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

I couldn't help but smile as I glanced at her again in my review mirror.

"I love you too."

By this time we'd arrived in my driveway. I took out my phone right after putting the car in park to see that Jasper had replied to my message.

"_Yeah I'll be over in a few minutes."_

I pressed the button to open up the garage door and then got out and went around to open up Chelsea's door for her and help her out of the car. I then opened up the front seat and handed her the stuffed giraffe. She took it from me and then ran off into the garage to go inside the house. I grabbed all of her other stuff, kicked the car door shut behind me, and followed behind her.

I walked in the house and put her stuff down on the kitchen table.

"Hey, Chels?" I called, walking into the living room.

She didn't answer me and I didn't see her so I figured she was probably up in her room. I climbed the stairs up to her room and even though I expected to see her when I walked through the door, she wasn't there.

"Chelsea?" I called.

Nothing.

I did a quick sweep through the upstairs and then when I didn't see her I went back downstairs.

"Where are you, princess?" I called as I walked back towards the living room.

As I entered the empty room I could distinctly hear giggles coming from down the hall. I smiled and made my way towards my room. As I walked down the hall and closer to my room, the giggles got louder. When I walked through the door, I saw half of a stuffed giraffe sticking out from under the blankets and a big lump next to it…a lump exactly the size of my daughter.

"Hmm, where could my little girl be?"

She giggled again and the big lump in the bed moved.

"Well that's too bad. I guess since I can't find her I'll just lie down and take a nap."

I plopped down on the bed next to where she was and locked my arms around her tightly. She immediately started giggling loudly and squirming around.

"What is this? I thought this was my pillow…but it's giggling like my little girl does." I said with mock confusion.

"Daddy, it's me!" She yelled, muffled by the blankets over her.

"Oh my goodness, my pillow is talking!" I gasped.

I started tickling her and she started screaming and squirming around more vigorously. Finally, I pulled all of the blankets back in one sweep to reveal a panting Chelsea grinning from ear to ear.

"Hi, Daddy."

"What were you doing under there?"

"Hiding from you"

"Well that wasn't very nice. I'm gonna have to get you back for that."

"No, you don't."

"Yes I do. I think the kissy monster is gonna have to come out and get you."

"No!" She squealed through more giggles.

I locked my arms around her and leaned over her, holding her down. I then attacked her with kisses, peppering them all over her face. She giggled furiously and started wiggling around in my arms. I scooted lower and pulled the bottom of her shirt up, kissing all over her tummy while I tickled her simultaneously.

"DADDY!" She wailed.

When her face started turning red and her giggling got even more out of control, I decided to stop before she got so worked up she wet my bed.

"Guess what?" I asked as I stopped and plopped back down next to her.

"What?" She asked, still laughing softly.

"Uncle Jasper is on his way over. He's gonna stay with you for a little bit while I go and do some of those things that I had to do today."

"Are you still going to take me to the puppy store?"

"Of course I am. Later on, though."

"I'm going to make Uncle Jasper play _Pretty, Pretty_ _Princess_ with me."

"You should." I said with a laugh, imagining Jasper playing that ridiculous game. "I bet he'll love it."

"I'm hungry."

"Let's go get a snack while we wait for Uncle Jasper." I said as I got up off of the bed.

I was pretty hungry myself, considering I hadn't eaten breakfast, but I never could eat when I was nervous. And if ever there was a time to be nervous, it was now. Bella had begun to mean so much to me in such a short amount of time and I didn't want to lose that.

I led Chelsea into the kitchen and she waited at the table while I cut her up an apple. I put the slices on a plate along with a scoop of peanut butter to dip them in. I poured her a cup of milk and then went over and sat everything down in front of her.

I sat across from her at the table and watched her eat while she kicked her legs back and forth in her chair. While I looked at her I tried to figure out how the hell she was growing up so fast. It felt like just yesterday she was a baby and now she was a four and half year old, growing like a weed. She would be starting kindergarten that next year and I wasn't sure I was ready for that. I wished I could just freeze time and keep her my little pre-schooler for a little while longer.

A knock at the door brought me out of my solemn thoughts.

"I'll be right back." I said to Chelsea as I stood up.

I headed to the front door and opened up it up to let Jasper inside.

"Dude, you look like shit." He said in low voice as he walked through the door.

"I _feel_ like shit. I got three of hours of sleep last night and I haven't eaten anything." I said, running a hand through my hair as I closed the door behind him.

"Why haven't you eaten?"

"Because I'm too worked up and nervous, man."

"What are you so nervous about? I'm sure everything will be fine if you just explain it to her."

I looked down and shifted my weight uncomfortably.

"I guess I'm just nervous because I don't want to let my Dad ruin something else, but I might have already done so." I mumbled.

I looked up at Jasper to find him looking a little surprised. It was understandable, though. Anyone who knew me knew that I _never_ talked about my Dad on my own free will, not even to those closest to me.

"What do you mean you don't want to let him ruin something else?"

"I mean he already ruined my childhood. I don't want to let him ruin my relationship with Bella, too. He's the reason that I acted the way I did last night and I just hope that I didn't fuck everything up."

"I doubt it. I'm sure she'll understand, Edward. Anyone would understand why you acted that way if they knew your story."

"That's the other thing," I said with a sigh. "Do you know how hard it's going to be for me to tell her all of that shit?"

He put his hand on my shoulder.

"I know it's hard for you, but if you're as serious about her as you seem to be then I would imagine you would want her to know about it at some point. It's part of who you are. Maybe opening up to her about it will bring you guys closer."

"Yeah, I guess."

Jasper opened his mouth to say something else, but then Chelsea started coming towards us down the hallway.

"Hi, Uncle Jasper!"

"Hey, Chelly" He answered as he took his hand off of my shoulder and gave her a wide smile.

As she got closer I saw that she had peanut butter all over her mouth. I sighed.

"Chels, you've got peanut butter all over your face. Come on, let's go clean it up." I said.

"I can get it, man. You just get going." Jasper said.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, that's what Uncles are for, right?"

"Thanks." I said with an appreciative smile.

I grabbed my keys off of the table by the door and turned to Chelsea.

"Be good, okay? I'll be back soon."

"Okay." She said, flashing me a toothy grin.

"I love you." I said, smiling back at her.

"I love you too. Now come on, Uncle Jasper. I have a game to teach you."

"Let's get you cleaned up first, short stack." He said with a smirk. "Good luck, dude." He added to me.

"Thanks" I mumbled.

They both turned to walk back towards the kitchen and I turned to walk out of the front door.

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My stomach was in knots the entire way to Bella's apartment. It felt like the drive took forever. When I got there I parked and just sat there for a moment, trying to prepare myself. My thoughts were just one jumbled mess. I didn't know what I wanted to say or how I wanted to say it. I knew that once I got inside and face to face with her I would probably forget everything I planned out anyway, so I decided just to wing it.

I tried to smooth my hair down a bit as I got out of the car and walked up the steps towards Bella's apartment. I took a deep breath and then knocked on the door. The door handle turned but when the door opened, it was Rosalie standing behind it. I immediately noticed her eye. It was swollen and you could tell she'd put make up around it to cover up the bruising.

"Oh…hey, Edward" She said, sounding surprised to see me.

"Hey, uh, is Bella home?"

"No, she's not." She said with an apologetic smile. "She went to go buy her textbooks for the semester."

"Oh" I said, disappointed.

I'd been so anxious about getting there to see Bella, I didn't consider the fact that she might not be home.

"You can come in and wait if you want. She's been gone a while so she shouldn't be too much longer. Plus I, uh…I kind of wanted to talk to you."

"Oh…um, okay." I said awkwardly.

I probably wouldn't have gone inside to wait, but I wasn't going to be rude and refuse to talk to Rosalie if she had something she wanted to say.

"Come in" she said, stepping aside.

"Alright"

I walked in the door and she closed it behind me.

"Do you want something to drink or anything?"

"No, I'm okay, thanks." I answered.

She went to sit down on the couch and I sat down next to her awkwardly. I felt weird being there because I'd never been around Rosalie much at all much less alone with her. I didn't even know her so I didn't know what it was she wanted to talk to me about.

"So," She started, sounding hesitant. "First of all, I'm really sorry that you got arrested because of me."

"It's not your fault I got arrested, Rosalie." I answered quickly. "It was my fault and mine alone. I handled the situation the completely wrong way."

"Maybe, but I do appreciate that you came to help me and tried to put James in his place."

I just nodded because I didn't know what to say. I didn't want to tell her that my beating the shit out of James had nothing to do with her. It was really fucked of him to hit her and he was obviously a douche bag for doing so, but the reason I had gotten so angry about it was because of my own personal past and issues. It wasn't an act of heroism.

"You're welcome." I mumbled after a few moments of silence.

"I'm sorry that Bella is so upset with you over the whole situation. I feel guilty because she wouldn't have anything to be mad about it if it wasn't for me getting myself into a stupid situation in the first place."

"Once again, it's not your fault that Bella is mad at me." I assured her. "It's my fault. We going there to help you had nothing to do with her getting mad at me. It was because of the way I acted."

I didn't want Rosalie to feel guilty for Bella being upset with me. If she started blaming herself for that then that was just another thing for _me_ to feel guilty about.

"Well, bottom line is that I'm sorry about last night regardless."

"Well you don't need to be sorry about last night, but alright."

"Secondly, I want to apologize for what I said about you to Bella when she and I got in our argument. I'm sure she told you all about it and I just want you to know that I don't really think that stuff about you. I do see that you are a really good guy, especially after last night, and I feel really bad for talking badly about you."

"Well first of all, my actions last night shouldn't give you a positive opinion of me. I was wrong for hitting that guy. Secondly, I'm not the one you should be apologizing to for your argument with Bella."

"I know that I should be apologizing to Bella also," She said with a sigh. "And I will. I do want to talk to her but I haven't really had the chance. I just got home from work as she was leaving so I haven't really had the time yet to sit down and talk to her."

"Well you should." I said flatly.

I wasn't going to tell her that she shouldn't feel bad about her argument with Bella, because she should.

"I know. But I also feel like I owe _you_ an apology. I shouldn't have told her that I didn't think you could be serious about her and committed to her, because deep down inside I know that's not true."

"No, it's not." I agreed.

"I'm glad that she ignored everything I said and wrote it off as bullshit. I know that you're a good guy and I know that you have good intentions with her."

"Then why did you try to make her believe otherwise?" I asked, confused.

"I don't know, I…I think she was right…I think I was just jealous…because she has you."

"What?" I asked, giving her a confused look.

"Not because of you_ specifically_, I mean." She assured me quickly. "Not that you're not a great guy. I mean, any girl would be lucky to have you. I was just jealous of what she _has_ with you."

"Oh." I said in understanding.

"I've seen how happy she's been these last few months and everything between you two is always so perfect. Although you may not be _my_ idea of a perfect catch, you have everything that she wants in a guy. You both want be settled and have a family and all that jazz. You've got a kid that she adores and that's all she's ever wanted…just to stay at home and be a mommy and have dinner ready for the stand up family man that comes home to her every night. It just seems like everything about your relationship just fell into place so easily for her and I've always believed that life just doesn't work like that. When you've spent your whole adolescence trying to convince yourself that prince charmings don't exist, it's hard to watch your best friend find one."

"Why would you want to try to convince yourself that things like that don't exist and that life doesn't work that way? Why wouldn't you want to be happy that Bella found that and believe that you can too?"

"Because if I believe that love like that isn't out there, I don't hope for it. And if I don't hope for it or expect it, I can't get hurt."

This girl might be the most confusing creature I'd ever met.

"Can't get hurt? All you're doing is _setting_ _yourself up_ to get hurt, Rosalie. You don't have any faith that a guy can treat you right, so you run around with douche bags like James. And look how that ended for you."

"I know, I know. It doesn't make any sense. I'm completely masochistic."

We sat there quietly for a few moments and I tried to figure out what Rosalie's problem was. Someone had to have negatively impacted her to make her this way. People don't just close themselves off to emotion for no reason. For some reason, Rosalie didn't want to let people get close to her…guys in particular. When I thought about being closed off to relationships, it was easy to relate Rosalie's problem to my own life.

"Has Bella ever told you anything about my daughter's mother?" I asked as the wheels in my head started turning.

"A little" She said with a shrug. "She just said that she was a real bitch and left you when your daughter was still a baby, just simply didn't want her. Why?"

"Well I was just thinking about what you said and started realizing that I used to be the same way. When Tanya, my daughter's mother, left me…I had no interest in ever looking for someone else. I figured if I could make a relationship work with anyone, it would be the mother of my child. I gave Tanya everything she could ever ask for. I worked my ass off to give her the most carefree and happy life I could. When she left, it was like saying that I wasn't good enough for her. I felt like If I worked that hard and still wasn't good enough for her, I wouldn't be good enough for anyone. And I didn't want to be. I didn't want to work my ass for anyone like that ever again if I was just going to be shit on for it. It seemed like if everything fell apart so easily between us even when we had a child to keep us together, then surely a strong and lasting relationship just couldn't exist. My own parents had a horrible marriage and when I couldn't make things work with Tanya, it just solidified my fears that true love wasn't out there. I adopted the belief that infatuation and attraction existed, but anything more than that and long term was just wishful thinking. I'd never witnessed a lasting and functional relationship before, so it was easy to believe that such a thing was unattainable."

As I spoke Rosalie watched me intently, seeming really concentrated on what I was saying.

"I totally understand what you mean." She said after a long moment of silence.

"When someone hurts you like that, it's easy to feel that way. After Tanya left I lost all of my ability to trust women. I didn't even have the desire to try and find a woman to _attempt_ to trust. I just accepted that fact that I would be single for the rest of my life so I wouldn't have to deal with it."

"So what changed your mind then? Did everything change when you met Bella? Was it just about meeting the right person to make you be able to trust again?"

"No" I said with a cold laugh. "That's how it would have happened in a movie. I would have been lucky if it were as easy as just meeting the right person."

"What happened then?"

"I went to therapy."

"Therapy?" She asked, sounding surprised.

"Yeah. At first I was really hesitant to go because I thought that it made me weak, but it was the best decision I've ever made. I didn't go specifically to work out my Tanya and trust issues…that just happened to be what I got from it. I went because I was depressed and miserable. I was struggling through my residency at the hospital and trying to take care of my child as a newly single father. I just saw no joy or hope in life. Tanya wasn't the only thing I talked about in therapy, but she was the main thing. She was the main issue at the time. It wasn't until I stopped going that I felt hopeful enough to even want to go out on a date. I went out with a few different women but never hit it off. It just so happened that I just never connected with anyone until I met Bella. And thank goodness I had done the therapy before I found her, or I would have been bringing some serious baggage into the relationship that probably would have destroyed us before we even started.

"Wow. I probably never would have even thought to try therapy." Rosalie said, turning to sit on the couch so she was facing me straight on.

"I think there's a big stereotype about therapy. People feel like if they go then that means that they're crazy, but I think it's more about helping you let go of baggage. Before I went I wouldn't even talk to people about Tanya, not even the people close to me, but now it's not a problem at all. I've moved past it and now it's just an unfortunate event that occurred in my life."

We sat in silence for a little while after I was finished and Rosalie just stared at me fixedly. I was a little surprised when her eyes started to tear up. I expected her to be able to relate to my story, that's the whole reason I had told it to her, but I wasn't expecting it to impact her so greatly.

"Can I tell you something?" She asked in a quiet and unsteady voice.

"Sure." I answered, curious to hear what she wanted to say.

"I've never told anyone this. Not even Bella. I don't really know why I'm telling _you_ this. I know that I don't know you very well, but I guess I sort of feel like you're one of the only people I've ever met that might understand me."

"Okay."

"I can totally relate to how you felt when you went to therapy…when you completely lost hope. I know why I have the trust issues that I do. I know why I never go on real dates with guys and why I always assume they're all going to hurt me."

"Go ahead." I encouraged. "Maybe it will help you to get your feelings out to somebody. It will stay completely between us."

"When I was younger, I used to go stay with my Aunt and Uncle in Florida for a couple weeks out of the summer every year. One summer while I was there, my Aunt and Uncle both had to work all day so my cousin and I stayed home alone. She was sixteen and I was twelve. My Aunt had left her some money that morning to go get us some lunch. She had her boyfriend over that day and paid me ten dollars not to tell her parents because he wasn't supposed to be there when they were gone. She left to go get lunch for the three of us and left me alone with him. He started asking me questions about my school and my friends. Eventually, he asked me about boys. I told him about this boy named Shawn I had a crush on that lived down the street. He told me that if I wanted him to, he would show me some pointers on how to get Shawn to like me back."

By this time silent tears were continuously rolling down her cheeks. I listened carefully, genuinely wrapped up in the story.

"I told him that I wanted him to show me, because I really wanted Shawn to like me back. He took me upstairs to my cousin's room and told me to take off my clothes and lay down on the bed. I was really hesitant and asked him why but all he would tell me was that this is how older girls showed the boys that they liked him. He promised me that Shawn would like it so I did as he asked. I took all of my clothes off and got on the bed. I was nervous and uncomfortable, but I was stupid and I trusted him. He took off his pants and his boxers and then lay down next to me. It was the first time I'd ever seen a penis. He told me that I should start touching it and see what happened, so I did. He started getting an erection, but at the time I had no idea what was happening. He explained it to me by saying that if I touched a guy's penis and it got hard that meant he liked me back. I had a feeling that I was doing something I wasn't supposed to be doing, but I was nervous that he would get mad or make fun of me if I told him I wanted to stop. He started telling me that if I made a guy hard, then he would want to do things to me with it. He also said that if I didn't let the guy do those things, then he probably wouldn't like me anymore. I asked him what kind of things they would want to do with me. Instead of telling me, he said that he would show me and help me practice for when Shawn would want to do it with me. I wanted to learn what to do when I liked a boy, so once again I was stupid and said okay. He told me to get on my back and open my legs, so I did. He got on top of me and I immediately didn't like it. When he put himself inside me, it hurt so bad I screamed and told him to stop. He told me that it was supposed to hurt the first time and that it was better to get that part out of the way now so it wouldn't hurt when I did it with Shawn."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. It made me sick to my stomach just to listen to it, and I felt horrible for her. I felt horrible that she had to go through that. By this time her tears had picked up even more so I reached over to the table next to my side of the couch and grabbed a box of tissues. I handed it to her and she took one, wiping at her cheeks.

"It didn't take long for him to finish. When my cousin came home he explained my tears and the blood on her sheets by saying that I had ran into the wall and gotten a nosebleed and he had me lay down on the bed to make it stop. I didn't tell her or her parents what had happened because he told me if I did they would be really mad at me. I never really considered what he did to be rape because technically I had consented, but I realized as I got older that he definitely molested me."

I was still in shock by what she was telling me. When she said that she could relate to my trust issues from Tanya, I hadn't expected this to be reason. What she had gone through was way worse than what I had gone through. I was touched that she felt she wanted to share her story with me, especially when she had never told anyone else.

"I am so sorry that you had to experience that, Rosalie." I said quietly. "I wish that I could think of something better to say, but I'm still sort of absorbing that story I think."

She nodded and sniffled as she wiped at her eyes.

"So that's why I have the issues that I do. At the age of twelve I was made to believe that any boy I liked would value me for my body and that sex was all a relationship was about. I obviously realized as I got older that what happened to me was very wrong, but it's still been hard to overcome the delusions that it instilled in me."

"I'm sure it has…especially going through all of that alone without ever talking to anyone. That would be a traumatic experience for anyone."

"I think I gravitate towards guys who use me and treat me like shit, because that's all I've known since I was twelve. That's what felt normal to me."

Although I appreciated and respected Rosalie for opening up to me, I was in no way equipped to help her out on my own.

"I really think you should consider therapy, Rosalie. Like I said, it doesn't mean that you're crazy or weak. But I think it would really benefit you to talk to a professional who knows how to help you sort through the issues you have because of that experience. You're clearly still holding onto that baggage because you've been keeping it buried inside of you for so long."

She nodded and sniffled again.

"I think you're right. Even just telling you was relieving. It felt good just to say it. I've never known anyone that's gone to therapy, but after seeing how much it's helped you with your problems…I think it might be good for me."

"I agree one hundred percent. That boy who did that to you has had power over you ever since that day because you've been too scared to talk about it. But you can take the power over yourself back from him by seeking help with working through it. Just by confronting the issue, you'd be helping yourself more than you'll ever know. You deserve help. You deserve to believe in real love."

Suddenly and unexpectedly, she threw her arms around me in a huge hug.

"Thank you, Edward." She said through her sniffling. "Thank you for listening to me, thank you for understanding, thank you for telling me your story about your daughter's mother, and thank you for not hating me for telling Bella not to trust or for getting you into trouble last night. I'm so glad that Bella has you. You're such an amazing guy and she's such an amazing girl and you two are so perfect for each other."

"She is an amazing girl." I said as Rosalie pulled away from our hug. "I just hope that she forgives me for being a total douche last night."

"She will." She said confidently. "Bella is such a sweetheart. She can't stay mad at someone who gives her a genuine apology."

"I hope you're right."

"I know I am. And that's how I know that even though I don't deserve her forgiveness for the way I acted, she'll forgive me when I apologize too. Because it will be genuine…that's all she cares about. She just wants you to mean it."

"Well it seems like we both really mean it." I answered.

A second later we heard Bella's key start to turn in the lock of the door.

"I'm gonna go clean myself up…" Rosalie mumbled, standing up. "I don't want to have to explain to her why I'm sitting here with you in a mess of tears. Good luck with your apology." She said with a small smile.

"Thanks." I replied as she walked off towards the bathroom.

As soon as Rosalie was out of sight, the door swung open. Bella walked in carrying a stack of textbooks and kicked the door shut behind her. She went to go put the books down on the coffee table and did a double take when she saw me.

"What are you doing here?" she asked as she sat the books down.

"I'm here because I owe you an apology, Bella."

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**A/N**

**I lied. I told you all this was only a two-parter but then I decided that there was more stuff I needed to add and this chapter was getting insanely long, so it's going to be three parts.**

**So now we all know, although most of you had already picked up on it by now, some of Edward's Daddy's issues. It does go deeper so there will be more to explain.**

**First of all, to those who were worried, Edward and Bella will be fine. They are not breaking up. With that being said, I do want to mention something to yall. This story has been pretty much rainbows and sunshine so far, but it **_**is**_** going to get angsty. It won't get too bad, but everything can't be perfect. It wouldn't be interesting. Just prepare yourselves, okay?**

**Everything that is going to happen in this story has already been planned for a long time. I knew from chapter one where I wanted this to go. Some things that will occur down the road may not be what some people want to see happen, but I can't make everybody happy. I'm proud of my story and I am going to stay true to my plans until the end. **

**Also…**

**I GOT TO 1000 REVIEWS! GO ME! ACUALLY, NO, GO YOU GUYS! YOU ARE ALL AMAZING AND I AM SO BLOWN AWAY BY ALL THE LOVE I RECEIVE! KEEP IT COMING!**

**Jenna **


	21. Explanations Part 3

**SM owns all characters other than my adorable Chelsea. **

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_**Previously…**_

_As soon as Rosalie was out of sight, the door swung open. Bella walked in carrying a stack of textbooks and kicked the door shut behind her. She went to go put the books down on the coffee table and did a double take when she saw me._

"_What are you doing here?" she asked as she sat the books down._

"_I'm here because I owe you an apology, Bella."_

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**BPOV**

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"What are you doing here?" I asked out of surprise.

I definitely wasn't expecting to walk through the door and find Edward in my apartment, but if I'm honest…part of me was happy to see him. Even though I was upset with him, I had worried about him all morning.

"I'm here because I owe you an apology, Bella." He answered.

I knew that he would most likely apologize at some point, but I was surprised that he was doing it so quickly after getting out of jail.

"Where's Chelsea?" I asked, wanting to make sure she had been his priority this morning.

"Jasper came over to watch her for a little while so I could come over and talk to you."

"Oh. You looked terrible." I commented sadly.

He really did look terrible. He had bags under his eyes and his hair was even more disheveled than usual.

"I know. I barely slept at all this morning and I haven't eaten anything…"

"You have eaten?"

"No" He answered with a small shake of his head.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm too upset. I've really worked myself up over last night."

That seemed like a stupid reason not to eat.

"Do you want me to fix you something?" I asked.

I may be upset with him, but I didn't want him to starve himself.

"No. At least, not until we talk about it. My stomach is literally in knots. I don't even think I will be _able _to eat until I know that we're okay."

I sighed and picked up my stack of books off of the table.

"Come on. We can go talk in my room."

I led the way into my room and he followed behind me. I deposited my stack of books on my desk and then went and sat on the edge of my bed. He came over and sat next to me, close enough that the sides of our legs were touching. The contact was distracting, and I really couldn't handle it at the moment. I was expecting a thorough explanation as to why Edward had acted the way he did last night and I wanted to give the situation my undivided attention.

So that I could do just that, I got up and went to sit in the chair at my desk instead. Edward looked hurt but I ignored it. Now wasn't a time for us to be touching anyway.

"Baby, I…" He paused, sighed, and ran his hand through his hair. "I don't even know what to say. I tried to plan this out but I knew it would be useless when I actually got face to face with you."

"Well since you're so seemingly speechless, I'll start. I have a lot to say. For one, I can't figure out what the hell would drive you to act so unbelievably immature and irresponsible. Did you not even think for one second about what you were doing before you decided to just start beating the shit out of James? Did you not even consider the consequences?"

"I know that it was wrong, Bella. And I wish I wouldn't have done it. I got caught up in the moment and lost in myself, and I made a really bad decision. To answer your question, no, I wasn't thinking. That was my mistake."

"You know what the most hurtful part is, though? I was willing to overlook that, because everyone makes mistakes. I wasn't even mad at you. Even after you lost your mind and assaulted somebody, I _still_ went over to you to try to calm you down and see if you were alright. And you just completely shut me out. You wouldn't look at me. You wouldn't let me touch you. And you made me feel like complete shit."

At that point Edward's entire demeanor shifted. Just a moment earlier he had been eager to talk things through and explain himself to me. Now he looked uncomfortable and scared shitless, almost as if he would rather be anywhere else.

"I'm sorry. I know I acted like a piece of shit." He said in a low quiet voice.

He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees and dropped his head, looking down at the floor. He started taking deep and steady breaths, almost as if he were performing a breathing exercise.

"Are you okay?" I asked, worried that was on the verge of a panic attack or something.

"I'm sorry for pushing you away last night." He said quietly, still looking at the floor. "I only did because I knew that I was in a bad place emotionally and I didn't want you to see that or be around me like that. I know that I was an asshole, but I just want you to know that I really am sorry. I can't take it back, though. All I can do is apologize with complete and utter sincerity and hope that that's enough for you to forgive me."

I waited a while for him to continue, but it didn't seem that he planned on saying anything more.

"That's it?" I asked.

"I told you…all I can do is apologize"

"What do you mean all you can do is apologize? I thought you were going to explain to me why you acted that way."

"There is no excuse for my behavior, Bella."

"I didn't say excuse, I said explanation."

He finally looked up at me, but I couldn't discern the look in his eyes. He fidgeted with his hands, seeming nervous and hesitant.

"What makes you think that there's an explanation?" He asked.

"Because Jasper told me that you have no tolerance for guys who beat up on girls, more so than other people. I tried to ask him why but all he would say was that it wasn't his place to tell me and that I needed to talk to you about it. What was he talking about?"

He sighed and rubbed his hands over his face.

"He told you that?" He asked.

I was a little frustrated that Edward seemed to be beating around the bush, but I couldn't be mad at him. It was obvious that there was something to tell me, but that he was having a hard time doing so. I couldn't be angry with him anymore for last night, because he had sincerely apologized. It was apparent that there was more to tell me, but I couldn't force him to open up to me if he wasn't comfortable doing so.

I got up and went over to stand in front of where he sat on the edge of the bed. I pushed his knees apart with my leg and then moved to stand between them. He sighed, put his hands on the backs of my thighs, and leaned forward to rest his forehead against my stomach.

"Edward, I just want to know what's going on." I said as I stroked his hair.

"I know you do, and I want to tell you, I just…" He paused and stayed quiet for a long moment. "There are reasons for my behavior last night that I do want to tell you. I just need you to understand that this is really difficult for me. I haven't even touched on this subject for years."

I stood there thinking for a moment. I thought about the events of the previous night, Edward's behavior, and what Jasper had said to me. When you connected all of the pieces, it was obvious that Edward had been through something in his life that was still a sensitive subject. I considered maybe just telling him that we should drop it and move on, but I wanted to be there for him. Last night had clearly brought up some issues, and I wanted to be there if he needed me.

"Hey," I started as I tilted his head up so he was looking at me. "I'm not mad at you anymore, okay? I know that you're sorry for the way you handled things last night, and I accept your apology. So let's just forget about me being mad, okay? That's not even an issue."

"Okay" He said quietly as he nodded up at me.

"I just want to know what's going on with you. You know that you can tell me anything, right?"

"Yeah, I know." He mumbled.

He looked away from my eyes, but pulled me closer. I sighed and chewed on my bottom lip, trying to figure out how to make him feel comfortable enough to open up to me without being pushy.

I gently pulled away from his arms, kicked my shoes off and then crawled into bed and got under the covers next to where he sat.

"Come lay down with me." I requested.

He looked over at me blankly for a moment and then stood up. He took of his jacket and draped it over my desk chair and then kicked off his shoes. I held up the blanket for him and he slid into bed next to me. We both turned onto our sides facing each other and I scooted over until my body was flush against his.

"Bella, baby, I'm so sorry…" He whispered as he wrapped his around me.

"Shh…" I said, putting my finger over his mouth. "Stop apologizing. I told you I wasn't mad at you anymore. We're past that."

"You're letting me off easy."

"No, I'm not. It's just not important. To be honest, I've maybe been a bit dramatic. I'm just spoiled by you being so perfect all the time."

"You don't know how relieving it is to have your forgiveness." He said, leaning his head forward until his forehead was against mine.

I hooked one arm over his shoulder and played with the hair at the back of his neck.

"I asked you to come lay with me for a reason." I told him.

"Well whatever that reason is, I'm glad."

"I asked you to come lay with me because I want you to feel close to me and comfortable. Whenever I'm in bed with you, I always feel like the whole world disappears…and it's just me and you. Even if we're just lying down and cuddling, I always feel completely safe and comfortable."

He closed his eyes but nodded to let me know he was listening.

"And I asked you to lay with me because I want you to feel that too. I want there to be a place where just can be together and forget about the rest of the word…where we can feel completely safe and open with each other. But I also want it to be whatever you want it to be at the moment. I don't want you to feel pressured at all. You can say whatever you want or nothing at all, just as long as you feel comforted."

He opened his eyes and looked at me carefully.

"You are mature and wise way beyond your years, you know that?"

"What do you think? Can you feel that way with me?"

"I _do_ feel that way with you. I've never felt as comfortable with anyone as I do with you. You have such a big heart."

"Then bed, doesn't matter if it's yours or mine, is going to be our designated place to get away from everything and have alone time. We'll call it 'us time'. Whenever we need to take a time out and really _be_ together, we can just tell each other that we need us time. We can spend it talking, cuddling, kissing…whatever we feel like we need."

He lifted one of his hands to smooth my hair away from my face.

"You are unbelievable." He whispered.

I smiled and kissed his lips softly.

"I'm designating our first us time right now. I'll say what it is I want to say and then we can do whatever you want."

He hooked his arm around my waist and pulled me as close up against him as he could.

"What is it you want to say?" He asked with his forehead still against mine.

I kissed his lips softly again and moved my hand around from the back of his neck to the side of it.

"I'm falling in love with you, Edward. And I want to know as much or as little about your life as you want to tell me. I hope that one day I'll know everything about you, but I want you to tell me at your own pace. I just want you to know that you can tell me anything you want, whenever you want, and I'll be there to listen. If you want to tell me what caused your reaction to what happened last night, then I hope you feel comfortable enough to do so. But I also want you to know that if you're not ready to talk to me about it, then that's okay too. I don't want you to feel pushed either way."

Of course I was curious about what Edward had to say, but the last thing I wanted was for him to tell me and feel uncomfortable about it because he wasn't ready. I wanted him to know that I was there to listen, but it wouldn't matter to me if he didn't want to talk about it.

He looked at me for a while in silence. It seemed like he wanted to say something but was struggling with it.

"It's okay." I said, sliding my hand down his neck and shoulder to take his hand. "We don't even have to talk at all."

He nodded and dipped his head down and to the side until his forehead was resting against my neck. I rolled over until I was on my back and he was partially on top of me. I played with his hair with one hand while with the other I traced patterns on his back absentmindedly with my fingertips. After a few minutes I started scratching his scalp lightly with my nails instead of playing with his hair, making him hum. He slid his hand up my shirt and rested it on my side, over my ribs.

"I love feeling you breathe." He whispered.

I turned my head to kiss his temple and in response he placed an open mouthed kiss at the place where my collar bone met my neck. I closed my eyes and continued scratching his scalp, just trying to enjoy having him in my arms. He placed another lingering kiss on my neck and then took a deep breath. His hot breath against my skin felt nice. It was like a reminder that he was so close to me. His hand slid down from my side so that his fingertips could brush back and forth across my stomach.

It was nice to just lay there with him. It was easy to get lost in his presence. All I cared about now was that he was out of jail, safe, and we could just move past the whole thing.

"My Dad used to hit me and my Mom when I was young."

My eyes popped open.

I wasn't entirely surprised by _what_ he said…I was just surprised that he brought it up. I'd obviously caught on to the fact that he'd had some kind of experience with domestic violence in his past, but I thought he had decided that he didn't want to talk about it.

I didn't know what to say to that, or if I should even say anything at all. I had no experience with consoling someone who had been through that sort of thing and I didn't know if I should say something or wait and see if he had anything else to say about it.

Before I could settle on a decision, he spoke again. He didn't move to look at me. He stayed right where he was and spoke into my neck.

"For a long time I didn't even realize that it was abuse. I just figured that was the way he punished me when I really pissed him off and since I never knew anything different, I thought it was normal. I don't remember him actually _hitting_ my mom until I was around ten or so, maybe a little older. When I was really young all I ever witnessed was him grabbing her arm really hard or things like that. As I got older it got worse and eventually he was slapping her or backhanding her almost every time they fought…which was a lot. With me it was pretty much the same. When I was really young all he would do was rough me up a bit…shoving and pushing me or grabbing me too hard. When I started to get older, it got worse. We would get into verbal fights and it would always end in him punching me and then me storming off to my room. Every time my mom tried to intervene, he would just lay it on her too. He hitting me was one thing; it was when he would hit my mom that really pissed me off."

His voice trailed off and he was quiet for a while. I kissed the top of his head and then took his hand from my stomach and laced our fingers together.

"I'm listening, baby…if you want to go on." I whispered to him.

He squeezed my hand lightly and kissed my jaw before continuing.

"By the time I was sixteen, I was taller than him. He wasn't so scary anymore like he was when I was a kid. He got in a huge with my mom one night and started roughing her up a little bit, pushing her around and screaming at her. I told him to stop and he told me to stay out of it. I wasn't afraid of him anymore and I was pretty fed up with his shit, so I pulled him off of her and slammed him up against the wall. All the anger that had been fueling his fight with my mom then turned on me. He threw the hardest punch at me he ever had and we both ended up on the floor, rolling around and fist fighting. Long story short, I moved out the next day. Since I graduated early I was due to start at college the following fall so my grandfather let me move in with him for that last year. I'd been waiting my whole childhood for my mom to leave him, but I just couldn't wait any longer after that."

"Did your mom ever end up leaving him? I'm assuming something had to happen since he's not in your life and she is."

"Yeah, she left him two years later. But for those two years in between, I didn't speak to her much. I held a lot of resentment towards her for putting up with that shit, and making me put up with it too."

"Yeah, I can imagine. So where is your Dad now?"

"Last I heard he was living in New York and on his third marriage."

"Wow…" I breathed.

"There's obviously years of stories, but that was sort of the cliff notes version I guess."

I brought his hand that I had been holding to my lips and kissed his palm. I was speechless and felt stupid for not knowing what to say to him.

"I'm sorry I'm not very good at this…I don't really know what to say." I confessed. "I've never known anyone that's been through that, but I hate that you have."

"It's okay." He assured me in a whisper. "I'm not looking for consolation. I just want you to know."

"I'm glad that you want me to know. I want to know everything about you that you're comfortable sharing."

"So that's why I reacted so strongly to what happened last night. When you told me that Rosalie had been hit by that guy, it made me think of my Dad. When I was beating the shit out of that guy, I was thinking of my father."

"The whole thing makes a lot more sense now. If I had known that, I wouldn't have been upset about your reaction. It's totally understandable, so I don't want you to feel bad about it."

"But you still would have been upset about the way I treated you, and rightfully so. The reason I snapped at you like that was only because I was trying to push you away. My biggest fear has always been that I'll end up like my father, and I didn't want you to see me acting that way."

That part I _did_ know what to say to. I knew how to respond to that immediately because I knew that he was completely wrong.

I slid down in his arms and turned until we were both on our sides and facing each other once again with our foreheads touching. I cupped his cheek and tried to look in his eyes with as much sincerity and affection as I could muster.

"Edward, you could _never_ be like your father. You are the most caring, compassionate, and strong man that I know. You've faced so many obstacles in your life and you've come out of them as the most amazing guy I've ever met. There's no way you could ever be like someone who could do that to their family."

He put his hand on the back of my neck and kissed me with so passion I was a little taken aback. He slid his tongue into my mouth and I moaned…because that's what Edward does to me. He pulled my leg up over his hip and I wrapped it securely around him, holding him to me as close as I could. We made out for a long time until we both needed to pull away to catch our breath. We stayed close however, breathing against each other's mouths.

I opened my eyes to find him staring at me intensely as he stroked my hair.

"You are so fucking beautiful, baby girl."

I pushed my chest up against his and nuzzled my face into his neck.

"I love your body…" I mumbled softly against his skin, relishing in the feeling of his strong arms around me.

"Good, because it's all yours"

"I like the sound of that." I answered.

"Are we okay now?"

"We're more than okay. I've never felt so close to you before." I told him honestly.

Edward sharing such a traumatic part of his childhood with me made me feel incredibly close to him. The fact that he chose to confide in me solidified my confidence in his feelings for me. It also gave me a new respect for him when I didn't know I could respect him anymore than I already did. He'd been through so many tribulations in life already and he was such a strong man because of it.

"I know what you mean." He answered. "I want you now more than ever, and I don't mean that sexually."

"You have me in any way you want me." I assured him.

"How about _every_ way?"

"Every way" I promised.

"I like the concept of this 'us time' thing, by the way."

"Good. You can have it any time you need it…or want it."

"I think it will be a good idea to incorporate into our relationship."

I was about to say something in response but was distracted when his stomach growled.

"Edward?"

"Hmm?"

"Can I please make you something to eat now?"

He laughed softly and kissed my forehead.

"Yes, but then I should probably get going. I told Jasper I wouldn't be long."

"Okay, well…I'll make something fast then." I said as I crawled over him to get out of bed.

He got up and followed me into the kitchen where he plopped himself down at the table while I searched the refrigerator for something quick to make. He held his face in one of his hands, propping his head up with his elbow on the table. I felt bad for him. He looked beyond exhausted.

"How about a sandwich?" I offered. "It's not very gourmet, but it's fast."

"Yeah, baby, that's fine." He said, rubbing one of his eyes.

"Are you sure? I could make some pasta or something."

"No, no, a sandwich is fine." He insisted.

I surveyed the sandwich ingredients that I had in my refrigerator.

"Is turkey okay?" I asked.

He laughed and ran his hand through his fuckhot hair.

"Bella, really, whatever you have is fine. Anything edible will suffice. I'm too hungry to be picky." He assured me.

"Turkey it is, then." I said with a nod.

I retrieved the lettuce, mayonnaise, turkey, cheese, and a tomato from the fridge. I then grabbed some bread and took down two plates. I started preparing two sandwiches, because I was pretty hungry as well.

"Oh, before I forget to ask you, how much do I owe you for my bail?" He asked as I put together our food.

"I really don't know." I said honestly.

"What do you mean? Jasper said you took care of it. You don't know how much you paid?"

"I didn't pay, my Dad did." I explained.

"Wait, what?" He asked, sounding much more awake now than he had been a moment ago.

"My Dad paid it." I repeated.

"You called your Dad?"

"Yeah. He's the police chief at home and he knows the chief here so I thought he might be able to pull some strings to get you out. I wanted to make sure you were out as soon as possible for Chelsea. His buddy told him that he couldn't let you off free though because you'd already been booked, but he did lower your bail."

"And your Dad _paid _it?"

"Yeah"

"Fucking great…" He muttered as he rubbed both of his hands over his face with a long sigh.

"Don't freak out about it. He said he recognized that your actions with James came from a good place and that he wanted to help you out."

"I just…I just wish that wasn't your Dad's first impression of me. He hasn't even met me yet and he's already bailed me out of jail on an assault charge. He was already less than thrilled about my age and now I've given him more of a reason to think I'm no good for you."

By this time I was just finishing up our sandwiches. I went over to the table and set our plates down. When I sat his down in front of him I simultaneously pecked his lips.

"Relax, Edward. Like I said, he recognized that you were acting from a good place. If he was going to write you off for getting arrested, then he wouldn't have paid your bail."

He picked up his sandwich to take his first bite and I went back into the kitchen to get a bag of chips and two cokes.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. But I'm going to pay him back. And I think I should meet him, too. I want to give him a better impression of me."

I groaned as I pulled our drinks out of the refrigerator.

"He wants to meet you too." I told him.

"Good. We should do that soon." He answered.

"If we must"

I took our drinks and the chips back over to the table and sat down in the chair across from him. I was surprised to see he was already half way done with his sandwich. I guess he really _was _hungry.

"You eat barbeque potato chips?" He asked when he caught sight of the bag of chips.

"Yeah, they're ridiculously delicious. I think I could eat a whole bag of them in one sitting. Why?"

"I think I just fell for you a little more." He said in a completely serious tone.

I laughed and slid the bag over to him.

"Have at it, then."

I started eating at my sandwich while he dug into the bag of chips. I wasn't even half way through with my sandwich before he'd polished off his _and_ eaten a shit-ton of chips.

"Do you mind if I make another sandwich?" He asked. "I seriously am starving."

"I'll make it." I offered happily as I stood up.

"No, I can get it. You eat your food." He said, standing up after me.

"No, seriously, sit back down. I _want_ to make it for you." I said with a happy smile.

I really did want to make it for him. You'd think that as a young and blossoming woman, I'd be all about the evolving role of women in the new age…but no. I liked doing domestic things for Edward. Call me disgustingly old fashioned, but doing something for him just as simple as making a sandwich made me feel like I was being a good girlfriend to him.

_Oh God. Rosalie would slap me if she heard me 'degrading' women in my thoughts like this._

_Maybe I just have the mindset of a woman in the fifties. Maybe I should start vacuuming in heels and pearls and name my future sons Wally and Theodore…_

"Thank you." Edward said with a loving and appreciative smile, bringing me back from my daydream of myself starring in '_Leave it to Beaver'._

"You're welcome." I said as I took his plate and went back over to the countertop where I still had the sandwich ingredients out.

"So," He started as he watched me prepare his food. "I told Chelsea I would take her to the puppy store this afternoon. You're more than welcome to go if you want. She asked if she was going to get to see you today."

"You're getting a puppy?" I asked, surprised.

"No, we're just gonna look. I told her if she was good and didn't beg me to bring one home then we would go get ice cream after."

"Oh. Well as fun as that sounds, I already made plans for today."

"Oh, really? What are you doing?" He asked curiously.

"Shopping and a movie with Evan"

"Ah, I see."

"Sorry."

"That's okay. Are you still going to be able to come spend the night with Chelsea on Wednesday?"

"Yeah, of course. I wouldn't miss it for anything." I answered.

"And when are you going to come spend the night with _me_? Last night doesn't count as a sleepover because it got cut short. We need to make up for it."

"Whenever you're not working" I said with a shrug.

"I'm not working tonight." He replied.

"Hmm…" I hummed thoughtfully.

I smiled and went over to place his now ready sandwich in front of him.

"Thank you." He said as he picked it up for the first bite.

"You're welcome." I answered.

"So what about tonight?" He asked after swallowing.

"Geez, somebody's anxious for a slumber party." I said with a small laugh.

"I am anxious. I want to sleep with you in my arms every chance I get. And besides, we haven't ever had make up sex before…" He added suggestively, looking up at me with a smirk.

"You plead a very strong case," I said, smiling down at him. "But are you sure you would be up for that tonight? You look so tired…"

I lifted one of my hands to lightly touch the dark circle under his eye. He took that hand and kissed my palm.

"I'm a doctor. I'm used to performing regardless of exhaustion."

Hearing Edward say the words doctor and performing in the same sentence had my girly parts standing at attention.

For the sake of keeping my panties dry, I tried not to think about how exactly I wanted Edward to perform for me in bed.

"Yeah, I could come over tonight." I said as I went to go sit down in front of the remaining part of my own sandwich. "I mean, if you're sure you're up for it."

"I'm always up for you." He said.

I laughed so hard I chocked on a bite of my sandwich.

"Wow." He said through his own laughter. "Believe it or not, I actually didn't mean that to be a sexual innuendo."

"Well, either way you meant it…thank you." I answered once I could breathe again.

I couldn't stop smiling as we finished eating our sandwiches together. I was so happy to be back in a good place with him. Not only had we patched things up from the previous night, but I felt closer and more connected to him than I ever had before. The fact that he was willing to share his past with me made me feel confident that he was feeling just as close to me, as well.

The more I learned about Edward, good and bad, the more I fell for him. It was unbelievably sexy how strong he was and how successful he was in not letting the challenges of his life take him down. I knew what an amazing man he was, and I knew that he could conquer anything life threw at him…anything that life threw at _us_.

Since Edward told Jasper he wouldn't be long, he said he needed to go once we were finished eating. We went back to my room to get our shoes and then I walked with him down to his car. I intended just to go down for a quick goodbye, but I ended up with my back pressed against the side of his car while we made out for twenty five minutes.

"I really do have to get home, honey." He said breathlessly once our lips finally broke free from each other.

"Okay." I answered.

My lips betrayed me, however. I kissed a trail down and across his neck until I made it to his ear. I kissed the place right below it and then took his earlobe between my teeth and sucked on it. He made a choked groaning sound and tilted his head to the side, giving me better access.

"Hey…" He said, turning his head until his forehead was against mine. "Save that for later."

"If I must" I said with a defeated sigh.

We shared a few more chaste kisses before I finally stepped away to let him get in the car.

"I'll see you later." He said as he opened his door.

"Okay. I'll call you when I get out of the movie."

"Alright, have fun with Evan."

"I will. I'm sure he'll be insanely jealous when I tell him that I get to have hot, rough, and steamy make up sex with you tonight."

"Rough?" He said, raising his eyebrows at me as a smirk formed on his lips.

"You noticed how I slipped that one in there, huh?"

In one swift movement he grabbed me and pushed me up against the car again.

_Well, there goes my resolve at dry panties._

"You want me to give it to you rough tonight?" He asked in a husky voice.

He ground his hips into mine while his eyes burned into mine intensely. I pushed my hips right back into his and nodded.

"Yes" I breathed.

He groaned and then took a step back.

"I really do have to go before I abandon all of my responsibilities, throw you over my shoulder, and take you back upstairs."

"You _do _need to go…before I beg you to do just that."

He gave me one last kiss and then got into the car.

"Talk to you soon, baby. I miss you already."

"Bye." I said, smiling at him longingly.

He shut the door and I blew him one last kiss before turning to go back up to my apartment. When I walked in, I saw Rosalie sitting on the couch. She looked over at me when she heard me come in and gave me a weak smile.

"Hey," I said, going over to sit next to her. "How's your eye?"

"It's alright." She said with a shrug. "It's not as bad as it looks."

"That's good. It looks like you've been able to cover it up pretty well."

"Yeah, thankfully" She said, absentmindedly reaching up to touch the skin underneath her eye. "Did you and Edward sort everything out?"

"Yeah, we did." I said with a nod. "We're good now."

"Good, I'm glad that everything is cool now with you guys."

"Thanks."

We sat there quietly for a few moments. She looked nervous. Finally, she took a deep breath and then started speaking quickly.

"Bella, I don't even know what to say. But I am so sorry for everything. You were such a good friend to come and help me last night and I am so sorry I jeopardized our friendship. The fact that Edward came with you made me feel even shittier about everything I said to you about him. I just want you to know that I didn't mean any of it. Edward is a good guy and I am happy for you, really I am. I only said those things because I was jealous that you found someone that made you so happy while I was stuck in my dysfunctional bullshit."

I sighed and started playing with a strand of my hair.

"I know you're sorry. And I don't need any more explanation than what you just said. I'm so emotionally exhausted after everything that's gone on, I just want to finally put an end to all of the drama. All I needed was an apology from you."

"So you forgive me then?"

"Yeah, I forgive you. But only under one condition."

"Anything" She offered quickly.

"I don't want you to ever have contact with James again…for so many reasons that should all be obvious."

"I swear. Never again…I don't want anything at all to do with that man.

"Good."

She leaned towards me and wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug. I smiled and hugged her back. I couldn't be more thrilled that our conversation was so short and simple. I knew that I may be letting her off the hook easily, but I was simply just too tired to have a long and emotional hashing out with her right now. After my long and draining conversation with Edward, I just wanted to be okay with everybody.

She gave me a sincere apology, so I accepted. I accepted because everyone makes mistakes, and she recognized hers.

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**EPOV**

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I fell in love with Bella that day in her bed. Her affection and genuine concern for me made it blatantly clear that I would never find a woman as amazing as her…nor did I want to look for one.

Some people may say that it was far too soon to actually be in love with her, and I probably would have been one of them if I were an outsider to our situation. However, my feelings for Bella were undeniably real and strong. It made no sense to fall in love with someone so quickly, but I did.

I was so happy that I'd been able to open up to her about my father, because that's what had brought us so much closer. I didn't know if I was going to be able to, but Rosalie inspired me. If Rosalie could open up to me about her past with sexual abuse, then I could surely open up to Bella about my Dad.

The only roadblock in front of me now was that I was too afraid to fill Bella in on the severity of my feelings. I was too worried that she would think I was crazy for claiming to be so deep in love with her so quickly. The fact that she had mentioned earlier to me that she was _falling_ in love with me didn't go unnoticed by me. But that's all it was. She was _falling_, which meant she wasn't actually there yet.

So now all I could do was wait for her to catch up to me.

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**For those of you who will whine and say that it's too early for Edward to think he is in love with Bella, well, suck it up or go read something else. I am a firm believer that when you find the right person it doesn't take long at all to come to terms with the magnitude of your connection to them. I was madly in love with my fiancé after only two months of dating…so suck it :)**

**So, we finally got the end to this chapter! What did you all think of Edward and Bella's talk? This wasn't the last time we will deal with Edward's father…just FYI**

**I felt that Rosalie and Bella's talk needed to be short and sweet. Bella **_**wanted**_** to forgive Rosalie, she just simply needed to hear an apology first. **

**Don't worry, guys, I'm not COMPLETELY cockblocking you. The make up sex will be included in the next chapter. So there you go…something to look forward to. **

**I read a really cute fic the other day called **_**We **_**Are**_** Three **_**by ****WithAplomb****. You guys should go check it out :)**

**GO REVIEW!**

**Jenna.**

**P.S. you guys are the most confusingly fickle reviewers ever, haha. It seems like one chapter will get an insane amount of reviews and the next will be a dud. Example, last chapter seemed to be a dud. Maybe that particular chapter just wasn't very good? Idk… **


	22. Mended and Moving On

**A/N: I own nothing. **

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**EPOV**

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"How did it go? Are you guys okay now?" Jasper asked as I leaned back against the kitchen counter with my arms folded over my chest.

Chelsea was in the living room playing.

"We're more than okay. I'm in love with her." I said with a huge smile on my face.

"Wait, what?" He asked, sounding taken aback.

"I'm in love with her." I repeated confidently.

"Geez, just a few hours ago you were a nervous wreck because you didn't know if she would even want to see you anymore."

"I know, but then I went over there and…she was amazing. She was so understanding and so nurturing. She even told me I didn't have to explain anything to her. She said that she wanted to know everything about me but that she would be patient until I was ready."

"Wait, so you didn't tell her about your Dad?"

"No, I did tell her. I was just touched that she was so aware and understanding of my hesitation."

"So do you think she understood what your problem was last night once she knew about your Dad?"

"Yeah, definitely. She even made me feel better about the situation."

"So did you get a makeup fuck out of it?" He asked, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"No, not yet…all we did was literally just stay in bed together talking."

"How touching" He said, putting his hand over his heart with a smirk.

"I will, though." I said, smirking back at him. "She's coming over later tonight."

"Wait, you're going to fuck her with Chelsea in the house?"

"Yeah, why? I've done it before."

"Isn't that, like, a little messed up?"

"No, it's not like she can hear anything from her room and she's always asleep. Married couples have sex with their kids in the house all the time, what's the difference?"

"I guess." He answered with a shrug. "I would just be too paranoid that she would wake up and come downstairs or something."

"Well we always lock the door in case she does."

"You two must have a pretty boring sex life, dude. When Alice and I go at it she's so loud we could never have a kid in the house."

When Jasper mentioned loud sex it made me think about my conversation with Bella earlier when she pleasantly surprised me by letting me know that she wanted it rough tonight.

Big mistake.

I had to quickly _stop_ thinking about that before I got a hard on in front of Jasper.

"So was Chelsea alright?" I asked to change the subject.

"Yeah, she was good. She pretty much played by herself the whole time."

"Well, thanks for staying with her."

"No problem, man. I'm glad you and Bella got the chance to work everything out"

"Yeah, me too"

"Did she tell you that Alice wants us all to go out this weekend?"

"Yeah, she did. Thursday is the only night I have off so it's gonna have to be then."

"Alright, well, that works for me. I'll tell Alice."

"Okay, just give me a call when you guys figure out what you want to do."

"Alright, will do. I've got to get going. Have fun at the puppy store, Chelsea's been talking about it all day."

I laughed and led him out of the kitchen.

"Thanks, I'm sure I'll have a blast." I said sarcastically.

On the way to the front door we passed the living room where Chelsea was playing on the floor.

"Chels, come say goodbye to Uncle Jasper."

She got up and ran over to us, slamming into Jasper's leg as she hugged it tightly. He laughed and bent down to give her a hug.

"Later, Chelsea. Don't wear out your Dad too much this afternoon."

"I won't." She promised with a smile.

We all three walked over to the front door where Chelsea and I said our final goodbye to Jasper. I shut the door behind him after he left and turned around to find Chelsea staring at me with a sweet smile. I smiled back and reached down to ruffle her hair.

Call me conceited, but I made a pretty damn cute kid.

"I'm ready to go see the puppies." She informed me.

"I bet you are." I said with a soft laugh. "Let's go upstairs and change you into some warmer clothes. It's cold outside."

She turned and ran off towards the stairs. I followed behind her, taking the steps two at a time. By the time I got into her room, she was already walking out of her closet, holding a shirt. It was white with long sleeves and small pink flowers all over it.

"I want to wear this one!" She told me.

"Alright, do you need help taking off your other shirt?"

"No, I can do it." She said confidently.

She lifted her T shirt up, trying to pull it off of herself. She was able to slip her arms out of the sleeves but struggled with pulling it over her head. I had been expecting her to have problems. She usually got stuck on the head part.

"DADDY, I'M STUCK!" she yelled, muffled by the shirt over her face.

I laughed and went over to help her get it off. Once I had it in my hands I went over to put it in her hamper. I knew she would be able to get the other shirt on just fine.

After discarding Chelsea's shirt, I went over to her dresser. I opened one of the drawers and started digging around for some jeans for her to wear instead of the cotton shorts she had on. I grabbed a pair and took them out before closing the drawer. When I turned around, Chelsea was looking up at me and holding a hairbrush.

"Will you put my hair in a ponytail?" She asked.

"Sure"

I took the hairbrush from her and went over to sit on the bed. She came over and stood in front of me, her back facing me. I started brushing her hair up and gathering it into my hand. She was making it kind of difficult though, because she kept moving.

"Stay still, sweetie."

You'd think that after being a single parent for a while now I would be a pro at all things involving taking care of my daughter. Ponytails, however, were one thing that I was convinced a man was just not very capable of. I did do my best, though.

I took her hair tie from her and started twisting it around the ponytail I had made. As I did I noticed that her hair was starting to get a lot thicker. It didn't so much feel like her fine baby hair anymore. My little girl was growing up. I could still remember her as a baby just like it was yesterday.

"Alright, all done." I said as I finished the last loop around her hair.

She ran into her bathroom to look over my work in the mirror. I picked up the jeans I'd put down and followed her.

"You don't make ponytails as good as Bella does, Daddy." She told me as I walked into the bathroom.

"I'm sorry." I said sincerely, although I couldn't help smiling.

Imagining Bella doing her hair for her was heartwarming. I was glad that Chelsea had her around to do things like that for her that I was obviously not good at.

"That's okay, Daddy." She said, patting my leg. "It's only because you're a boy."

Her statement piqued my interest. I was sure that she didn't mean anything by it, but it showed me that she recognized the difference in aspects of taking care of her that a woman would be better at than a man.

"Bella does things like that for you a lot, huh?" I asked casually.

"Yes. She's good at helping me with things. And she's fun too."

"She is fun. Do you like it that she comes over a lot?" I asked, squatting down to her level.

I hadn't really had a serious conversation with Chelsea about Bella and now seemed as good of time as any.

"Yes. I think she should spend the night with us every night because I like it when I get to play with her at night time and then see her again when I wake up."

"I think she likes seeing you when she wakes up, too."

"Daddy?" She asked, stepping closer to me and resting one of her hands on my chest.

"Yeah?"

"Do you love Bella as much as I do?"

"I don't know. Maybe, but I love her in a different way than you do."

"Is Bella going to be my mommy?"

"What makes you think that?" I asked, wondering what had provoked her to wonder about that.

"Because a girl at preschool just got a new mommy because her daddy got married. If you marry Bella, will she be my mommy since I don't already have one?"

"Well," I started thoughtfully. "If I married Bella then she would be your step mom. But she would do things for you that a mommy does. But Bella and I aren't getting married right now. We're still just boyfriend and girlfriend."

"But Bella already does things for me that a mommy does."

"What do you mean?"

"She takes care of me. She cooks for me and gives me baths and helps me do things."

"Well, yeah. Bella does help take care of you sometimes, but if I married her then that means she would help take care of you all the time. And she would be living with us."

She looked at me thoughtfully for a while and I studied her perfect little face, wondering how she viewed the situation in her child's mind.

"What are you thinking, princess?"

"I think you should marry Bella. Then she can be with us all of the time."

I couldn't deny that I liked the sound of that. I laughed a little and leaned forward to kiss her forehead.

"Maybe someday" I told her.

Before I could even think about marriage with Bella, I had to first at least tell her that I was in love with her. I noticed and was intrigued by Chelsea's lack of conception of time. Apparently it seemed perfectly natural to her that I marry Bella after only a few months.

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I enjoyed myself more at the puppy store and the ice cream shop than I thought I would. It was nice to spend the day hanging out with Chelsea. It was fun seeing how excited she got over the smallest things and she was simply too cute to handle with the puppies. She had a huge smile on her face as she would pet them and pat their heads. When she started giving them kisses I almost lost my resolve and took one home without her even asking just so I could witness the adorableness every day. I did, however, somehow remain to stay strong. Thankfully, we made it out of there without a new addition to the family. I wished I could have gotten one for her, because I knew how much she loved them, but I simply couldn't. There was no way I could properly take care of one with the amount of time I worked.

Because she kept her promise to me and didn't whine and beg for a puppy, I kept my promise to take her out for ice cream. I then consequently had to clean her up in the ice cream shop bathroom because she somehow managed to get more of her ice cream cone smeared on her face than she did in her mouth.

When we got home we watched Pocahontas together and I mentally laughed at myself. I never thought that I would be a single father spending my evenings watching Disney movies with my little girl sprawled out across my lap. But here I was…and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

When Pocahontas was over we shared a nutritious meal of grilled cheese and chocolate milk. I once again mentally laughed when I thought about how my diet nowadays was one of a four year old. This child was taking over my life.

While I put her to bed I considered telling her that Bella would be there in the morning when she woke up, but I decided not to. I figured it would be a fun surprise for her. Apparently she was pretty sleepy, because she went to bed without any kind of fight and didn't even ask me to read her a story. Maybe she was worn out from the excitement of sleeping at Grandma's house the night before.

After kissing her goodnight, I went back downstairs and into the kitchen. I grabbed a Dr. Pepper out of the refrigerator and started chugging it down, hoping the caffeine would give me a burst of energy. I was beyond tired, but the fact that I was going to see Bella soon made me want to stay awake.

After I finished my soda I headed back into the living room. I plopped myself down in the recliner and started flipping through T.V. channels, trying to find something that caught my interest. After only a few minutes, my cell phone rang. I picked it up and my heart swelled in my chest when I saw that it was Bella.

"Hey, Beautiful" I said into it after pressing the talk button.

"Hey!" She said excitedly. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, not much…I just finished getting a goodnight kiss from a cute girl."

"Oh really…" She answered playfully. "Should I be worried?"

I could tell in her voice that she knew I was messing with her.

"No, I don't think so. Lucky for you she's only four years old and is more interested in puppies than me anyway."

"What a relief." She answered, laughing.

"What are _you_ doing? When do I get to see my girl?"

"Well we just got out of the movie. I brought my stuff with me and we drove separately so I can just come over now if you want."

"Yeah, that's fine. Chelsea's already asleep so I'm just sitting here watching T.V."

"Okay, perfect. I'll be over in about ten minutes."

"Okay. The front door is unlocked so just come on in and lock it behind you."

"Alright, see you soon."

"Okay, can't wait."

"Bye"

"Bye"

I hung up the phone and then put it down on the arm rest. I leaned back in the recliner and put my hands behind my head with a huge yawn. I was exhausted but I was excited to see Bella and nothing was going to stop me from giving her the makeup sex that I'd promised her.

I continued watching the T.V. but I wasn't _really_ watching. I was kind of zoned out, thinking about everything. I thought about my conversation with Chelsea earlier and how thankful I was that they had bonded so quickly. Chelsea loved Bella wholeheartedly and I knew that Bella cared just as much about her.

Here I was thinking that I was crazy for falling in love with Bella so quickly when Chelsea had fallen in love with her long before I had. It was all about time. Chelsea was four years old. Once again, she had no concept of it. It didn't make a difference to her whether she had known Bella for a year or a week. She loved her.

I remained lost in thought for about fifteen minutes until I heard the front door open. I sat up in the recliner and turned the T.V. down. Bella walked into the room a moment later with a big smile on her face. She tossed all of her stuff down on the couch and then hurried over to me, sitting down on the armrest of the recliner I was in.

"Well, hello." I said, smiling up at her.

"Hi, baby." She said, leaning over to peck my lips.

While she did that I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her into my lap, making her giggle against my lips. When we pulled away I glanced over at the couch to see that she had brought a couple of grocery bags with her.

"Why did you bring groceries?" I asked.

"Because I'm making French toast in the morning"

I looked back over at her and brushed my thumb across her bottom lip.

"Babe, I don't want you to feel like you have to cook for us every time you come over."

"I don't feel like I have to, but I _want _to."

"Alright…I just feel bad sometimes."

"Do you not want me to cook for you?"

"I didn't say that." I said quickly. I loved Bella's cooking.

"Then shut up about it."

I laughed and kissed her lips again.

"How was your day?" I asked.

"It was alright." She answered, moving her head to place a kiss on the side of my neck.

"How was your movie?"

"Good, but I didn't really pay attention to it. I was too distracted thinking about you all day."

"Yeah?" I asked, smiling at that thought.

"Yes." She answered before placing another kiss, this one open mouthed, on my neck. "In fact, I spent my whole day thinking about you. I even got on Evan's nerves because I wouldn't stop gushing about my amazing man at dinner."

"Mmm…your man. I like the sound of that." I said as she kissed a trail down to the base of my throat.

"Well, you _are_ my man."

"Yes, I am." I agreed.

"I know I saw you just this morning, but I missed you today."

"I missed you too. I always miss you when I'm not with you." I answered.

"How was the puppy store?" She asked before kissing my throat again.

"It was actually pretty fun. Chelsea was adorable with the puppies." I said, starting to play with a strand of her hair.

"I bet." She answered.

She moved her lips up a couple of inches and started kissing and nipping at the place where my adams apple bobbed up and down in my throat as I swallowed. I knew that she knew that was one of my weak spots…and she totally used it to her advantage. I sighed in pleasure and shifted in the recliner a little in response to the stiffening in my pants. I think Bella felt it too because she hummed and started sucking on my neck with fervor.

She moved her hand in between us and pushed it up under my shirt to brush her fingertips back and forth across my abs, effectively making me harder. Her hand then moved down to the button of my jeans and popped it open, giving me a full hard on.

"I'm starting to feel like you came over here just to get in my pants." I said.

"I did." She answered after releasing the skin of my neck from the suction of her mouth. "I've been thinking about makeup sex with you all day long."

My sweet, innocent Bella was apparently feeling frisky tonight. She seemed to be a girl with a mission.

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**BPOV**

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Before I even gave Edward the chance to answer my statement, I kissed my way up his neck and chin until I found his lips. I smiled and then slid my tongue into his mouth and started making out with him like the desperate girl I was. Desperate for him, that is.

Ever since the moment Edward had pushed me up against his car and told me he would give it to me rough…that was all I could think about. Edward had already made me feel things I had never even known I could feel and I couldn't wait to experience even more of him. The thought of Edward getting rough with me was an incredible turn on. I'd never really considered myself to be someone who 'liked it rough' before, but once again…everything was different with Edward. I thought of him as my strong, sexy man and I liked the thought of him taking control of me.

Edward held the back of my neck to keep my lips pressed firmly against his. I took his bottom lip between mine and started sucking and pulling on it. He made a strange noise that at first I thought was a moan, but when I realized it was a wince I pulled away.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing, it's just…the inside of my lip is still a little busted up."

"Oh," I said with a frown. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

"Does it hurt too bad to kiss?"

"No, no, it's fine…just don't suck on it."

I smiled at his choice of words and moved my head to nibble gently on his ear lobe.

"I guess I'll just have to find something else suck on." I then whispered against his ear.

He groaned and I smiled victoriously. I loved it when I could tell that I was turning Edward on. It made me feel sexy. I moved my hand down and started unzipping his jeans, making him groan again.

"Shit, Bella…you make me feel like a horny teenager again."

I laughed and started to move off of his lap to get down on my knees in front of him.

"Maybe because I _am_ a horny a teenager"

He looked down at me with eyes full of lust.

"God…I always forget how young you are."

"Let me make you forget some more..." I said suggestively as I started tugging his jeans down on his hips.

"Baby, wait." He said, grabbing my hands and stilling them. "Let's go to the bedroom. I don't want Chelsea to come down here."

"Oh…yeah" I said, starting to stand up. "I forgot about her."

He flicked off the T.V. and then tossed the remote back down into the chair and took my hand.

"Come on." He said, leading me towards his bedroom.

As we walked through the doorway to his room, I made sure the door was locked and then took the lead and started pulling him over to his bed. I got up on the bed on my knees and then turned to face him and started pulling him over towards me. He took the step he needed to in order to be right in front of me and circled his arms around my waist, laughing softly.

"I love your eagerness, baby, but I just need a second to hit the bathroom first."

I pouted up at him as I lifted my arms up to circle his neck.

"But I'm so horny…" I whined.

He smiled, tightened his hold around my waist, and lifted me up so my legs were wrapped around his hips.

"You have no idea how cute you are."

I moved my head to the side of his and grazed my teeth over his earlobe.

"I want to suck your dick." I whispered into his ear.

I had no idea where this confidence and boldness had come from. I think it had something to do with the fact that I wanted him so bad and I had been thinking about it nonstop all day. He groaned and turned around so that he was sitting on the edge of the bed, holding me while I straddling his lap.

"Say that again." He whispered.

I smiled, pleased that he liked to hear me say that so much, and took his earlobe between my teeth again.

"I want to suck on your dick…I want to make my man feel good…" I whispered, running my hands through his hair.

"What happened to you wanting me to fuck you?"

"I still want you to fuck me…I just want to suck you off first." I said as I rolled my center against his erection, making him moan.

"God, Bella…" He said breathlessly.

I moved my head a little lower to kiss the spot right under his ear.

"I wanna feel you come down my throat."

"Shit, baby," He breathed. "I haven't been this hard in a long time."

"Can I take care of it, then?"

"You're the only one I would ever want to take care of it…it's yours." He said as he stood up. "Right after I go to the bathroom." He said as he sat me down on the bed, kissing my lips softly as he did.

I leaned back on my elbows and smirked up at him.

"I guess that's probably a good idea. You _are_ old. You probably don't have very good bladder control…I wouldn't want you to have an accident or anything."

"Funny, smartass" He said as he rolled me over roughly and smacked my ass, making me yelp.

As Edward walked off towards the bathroom, I hurriedly started undressing. Since I knew what was in store for me tonight, I'd worn sexy lingerie under my clothes and I wanted to show it off. I had on a cheetah print thong with hot pink lace trim and a matching cheetah print push up bra. I fluffed my curled hair with my hands and then lounged out across his bed on my side, trying to look casual while I waited for him.

When he returned to the bedroom I saw that, to my delight, he was now only wearing his boxers. When he saw me his eyes widened in surprise for a split second before he quickly regained his composure. He moved to the side of the doorway that he had come through from the bathroom so that he could lean back against the wall. He folded his arms over his chest and smirked at me.

I stayed right where I was and smiled back at him, wondering who would break the silence first. It didn't take long, because I was horny as shit and had no patience to just lie there.

"What are you doing, Edward?" I asked after only a moment.

"I'm trying to memorize the view in front of me right now. I can't even describe to you how absolutely perfect you look in this moment."

I smiled at his comment and bit my lip at the thought of how bad I wanted him.

"Sit down." I said, gesturing to the large, cushioned arm chair that sat in the corner of his room next to where he was standing.

"Why?" he asked.

"Just do it. And take your boxers off first."

I think when I told him to take his boxers off he got the picture because he had a big smile on his face as he pushed them down his legs and kicked them off of his feet. As he went over and sat down in the chair, I stood up. I walked over to him, swaying my hips as I did in an attempt to be sexy. When I got over to the chair I immediately dropped down to my knees and pushed his legs open so I could kneel between them.

I took his huge erection in my hand firmly and looked up at him as I leaned forward to kiss the tip. Lust immediately filled his eyes and he leaned back in the chair a bit. I wrapped my lips around him tightly and sucked just the head into my mouth. I sucked hard on it, keeping my eyes locked on his as I did so. Encouraged by the moan I received, I took more of him. I started sliding my lips down his shaft slowly, taking just a little bit more of him into my mouth at a time. His hand found its way into my hair and he was already starting to breathe heavily.

"You know just how take care of your man, don't you baby?"

I nodded and hummed in agreement at his words, making him moan again.

He was right. I knew how to take care of my man. That's all I wanted to do, all the time…just take care of my man.

Apparently I was doing a good job at it because it didn't take long at all for his breathing to become erratic and his moaning to become more frequent. It made sense, though. I'm sure it did feel good. Because I was more into it than I probably should be.

I loved being on my knees, unselfishly pleasing Edward. It made me feel sexier than I ever had in my life. I thrived off of the thought of making him feel good. I felt like the sole purpose of my body was for Edward's pleasure, and I wanted to give it to him in any way I could.

It was actually kind of sick, the more I thought about it. I liked the idea of feeling like I was serving him sexually. Pleasuring Edward gave me the ultimate high. I viewed it sort of as my job, and I'll be damned if I wasn't going to be employee of the fucking month.

I pushed his dick to the back of my mouth and swallowed hard as I pushed my mouth up, taking him into my throat. He moaned loudly and grunted my name…the highest praise he could ever give me.

I looked up at him again to find his face contorted with pleasure as I swallowed so that my throat muscles would tighten around him. He seemed to love that.

"Yeah, baby. You like sucking on my dick, don't you?" He said huskily, obviously picking up on how into my task I was.

He had no idea how true that statement was.

I hummed in agreement and swallowed again before starting to pump his dick in and out of my throat as deep as I could without gagging.

"Does my baby girl want her man's come? Huh? Do you want me to come down your throat?"

This time instead of humming I full on moaned around him as I felt a gush of moisture hit me down south.

_Dear sexy doctor boyfriend,_

_Your dirty talking to me in your sex voice while I suck on your delicious dick is causing me to soak my brand new, pretty panties. It would have been nice if you'd given more some warning that you were going to whip out the big guns on me so that I could remove them. _

_Sincerely, _

_Your deranged girlfriend who feels that her only purpose in life is to give you the best orgasm she can._

_P.S. – please don't stop doing it._

I started pumping him in and out of my mouth faster, eager to make him come so that he could fuck me already.

"I'm gonna fuck the shit out of you, baby girl." He said through a moan.

_Is Edward reading my mind now? _

I only had to take him into my throat a couple more times before I felt his hot release start to shoot down it. As his orgasm hit he grunted loudly and fisted my hair in his hands.

"Uhh…Bella…baby…oh God…" he said through his panting.

I continued swallowing around him until he had nothing left to give me. I released him from my mouth as he started going flaccid again. I rested my head on one of his thighs and smiled at him as I traced patterns with my finger on his other thigh. His face looked spent but he managed to return my smile. He placed his warm hand at the crown of my hair and smoothed it back lovingly as he looked down at me.

"You, my beautiful girl, are a complete _Goddess_."

"Whatever I am, will you please fuck me now?" I asked.

"As soon as our little friend down here" He said, gesturing to his penis. "Recovers from the number you just did on him."

"What do you mean?" I said, frowning up at him.

He laughed and continued stroking my hair.

"I'm not a hormonal teenager, baby. I need a few minutes to get hard again."

I made a pouty face up at him and then starting kissing a trail up his thigh, speaking between kisses.

"But –" kiss. "I'm –" kiss. "so –" kiss. "horny –" kiss. "and –" kiss. "sucking you off" kiss. "only –" kiss. "made me –" kiss. "hornier –"

He continued laughing as I finished my trail up his thigh and started up his abs.

"I can't tell if this is you being a hormonal teenager like I just mentioned or if you're just being particularly insatiable tonight."

"Both." I answered decisively before continuing my kisses.

"Mm, I'm forgetting that only one of us just had a mind-blowing orgasm." He said, still messing with my hair. "I can go down on you if you want. I'm sure I'll be hard by the time I'm done."

I continued my kissing trail, not speaking until I reached his lips and had placed a soft kiss there.

"I don't want you to go down on me. I want you to fuck me."

"And I will. Just the way you want me to. I just need literally only like ten minutes, babe."

I went back to pouting as I sat down on one of his thighs with my legs between his. He didn't think that he could get hard for me again right away, so I would just have to prove him wrong.

_Let's see if he enjoys dirty talking Bella as much as I enjoyed dirty talking Edward._

I turned my head and lowered it so it was resting on his shoulder and then starting kissing on the side of his neck. I lifted my other hand and stroked the soft skin on the other side.

"Sucking on that perfect dick of yours got me so wet…" I whispered against his neck.

He swallowed hard and tilted his head a little to give me better access.

"Sometimes I feel like I could get off just watching you come…"

He made a small half moan, half sigh sound.

"It turns me on so much just to know that I'm taking care of my man and making you feel good…"

This time he distinctively moaned and put his hand on top of mine on the other side of his neck.

I sucked on the skin bellow his ear for a moment and then looked down where his dick was between us, already about half way hard.

"Well that didn't take long." I said happily.

"I underestimate my body's reaction to you." He whispered breathlessly.

I took his half erect dick in my hand and started gently stroking it as I listened to his heavy breathing. With each pump of my hand he grew a little bit harder. I glanced up at him to see that he was also looking down, watching my hand playing with him. When he felt me looking at him, he looked back up at me. When my eyes met his I whimpered at the intensity I saw there.

I couldn't control myself. He was the sexiest man I'd ever seen and he was all mine.

Who wouldn't want to take advantage of that?

I moved my free hand to the back of his neck and pulled his face towards mine until his lips met mine.

Kissing Edward was…

No. I can't even describe kissing Edward.

We made out for a little while…and then a little while more. Our tongues tangled together as we whimpered and moaned into each other's mouths. I didn't pull away until I finally noticed that he was completely hard in my hand and ready for action. When I did pull away, we were both left panting.

"_Now_ will you fuck me?" I asked breathlessly.

"Get up." He said, smiling and patting my leg.

"My pleasure" I answered.

I eagerly obliged and hopped up off of his lap, turning to go back over to the bed. Before I could take a step, however, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me back over to him.

"I'm not fucking you on the bed." He said in his husky sex voice.

"You're not?" I damn well nearly whimpered.

He put his hands on my shoulders and guided me to turn around. I was facing the chair with my back to Edward's chest.

"Bend over." He said as he reached around me and took my hands, guiding them to hold onto the top of the back of the chair.

I took a step back so I was bent over as I gripped the chair. Edward's hands ran up my arms to my shoulders and then down my sides to my hips. He hooked his thumbs into the waistline of my panties and started pulling them down. When he got them around my ankles I kicked them off of my feet.

He stood back up and put his hands on my hips, pulling my ass back hard into his erection.

"You said you wanted it rough, right?"

"Yes…" I breathed, barely even a whisper.

"Spread your legs."

I took a step out so that my legs were spread.

"I've never done it in this position before." I told him.

"You haven't?" He asked, sounding a mixture of surprised and pleased.

"No."

"Well good. This will just be yet another new experience with me."

I felt him rub the head of his dick over my entrance and whimpered. It was a strange feeling to be able to feel what he was doing, but not see. I couldn't anticipate his next move. He pushed the head of his dick into me but then pulled it right back out and started just rubbing himself over me again.

"Edward, please…" I whimpered. I was far too horny for teasing.

"What do you want, baby?"

"You…I want you. Fuck me."

He pushed his dick into me all the way, hard, in one swift movement. I moaned loudly and gripped harder onto the chair. I hadn't been expecting him to give it to me all at once.

"My baby girl wants to get fucked hard, doesn't she?" He said in a moan.

"Yes." I answered breathlessly, pushing back against him.

He didn't start out slow and sensual like he usual did. He immediately started fucking me hard and fast.

"You're being a dirty girl tonight, aren't you?"

"I'm _your_ dirty girl."

He gripped my hips tighter and started fucking me harder, making both of us moan.

"Yeah? Are you _my_ dirty girl? Are you gonna be ready to get dirty for me whenever I wanna fuck like this?"

He accentuated the word 'fuck' with a particularly hard thrust.

"Yes. I'll be whatever you want me to be for you…_when_ever you want."

He quickened his movements and bent lower just slightly so that he was thrusting upwards, hitting just the right spot. I moaned loudly and bit my lip. I had to grip the chair tightly just to hold myself steady with how hard he was thrusting.

"You like that, baby? You like it when I fuck you like this?" He said in a husky, raspy voice.

"Yes…I love it…" I answered through my panting. "Just like that…Right there…"

Edward started thrusting harder. Each time his hips would slam into my ass so hard that it pushed me forward and lifted my heels up off the floor. I looked down at my hands to see that I was gripping the chair so tightly my knuckles were white.

With the combination of both the intense speed and force of the way he was fucking me, I was already on the edge of what I could feel would be an intense orgasm. I could already feel a distinct pressure in the pit of my stomach and a tingling in my hands and feet.

I didn't think that Edward would take it any further and go any faster, but he did. He quickened his pace significantly and as he did so started grunting repeatedly. It was almost too much to handle.

"Ah! Oh! Edward…yes…fuck me…"

"Yes, baby girl…come for me…let me feel that tight pussy squeeze my dick."

I knew that dirty talking Edward would be the thing to break me. As much as I wanted to hold off and let my orgasm build as long as I could, I couldn't keep it at bay any longer. The fire ignited and the flames spread throughout my body in every direction. Up my stomach into my chest, down my thighs, through my arms…there was no stopping it.

"UGH! AH! OHMYGOD! Edward…ugh…"

"Fuck! Bella…yes…grip me with that pussy, baby."

I wasn't surprised that _I_ didn't last long, but I _was_ surprised when I felt the hot spurts inside me and realized that Edward was coming with me. I could feel my legs and hands both shaking.

My orgasm lasted for a long time, even after I stopped feeling him come inside me. When I was finished I was left panting. I still had to grip tightly onto the chair because my legs were simply too weak to hold me up.

I whimpered when I felt him pull out of me. I hated it every time I felt him leave my body. It always made me feel so empty and too far away from him.

The distance didn't last long, though. A second after pulling out of me, he wrapped his arms around my waist from behind and picked me up, carrying me over to the bed. I laughed and tried to squirm out of his arms.

"I have to go clean myself up!" I squealed.

"No you don't." he said as he tossed me down onto the bed and lay down next to me.

I rolled over so I was half on top of him.

"Fine, but it's _your_ sheets that are going to have our come all over them in the morning." I said, kissing his chest.

"I'll wash them." He said, closing his eyes.

"Are you seriously going to sleep?"

"Yes. You just gave me two amazing orgasms and I just fucked the shit out of you. I'm old, remember? That shit wore me out."

I just laughed and lay my head down on his chest. His breathing became steady and heavy within minutes, lulling me off to sleep quickly.

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As Edward, Chelsea, and I sat around the table eating our French toast the next morning, I noticed that Chelsea had a weird look on her face as she chewed.

"What's wrong, Chels?" I asked her. "Do you not like it?"

"I like it but my tooth hurts." She answered.

Edward put his fork down, looking concerned, and went over to kneel down beside her chair.

"Show me which one." He told her.

She opened her mouth and pointed to her bottom left front tooth. Edward pulled her bottom lip down and examined it carefully before touching it gently with his finger.

"It's loose." He said, sounding surprised.

"How exciting!" I said, smiling. "Your first loose tooth!"

"That means the tooth fairy is going to come to our house!" She nearly screamed.

Edward sighed and went and sat back down in his chair with a weird expression on his face.

"What's wrong?" I asked him. "Is she not old enough to be losing teeth?"

"No, she is. Most kids start losing teeth between four and seven. I just…" He paused, looking over at Chelsea and running his hand through his hair.

"What's wrong, Daddy?" She asked, climbing out of her chair and going over to stand next to Edward's.

He picked her up and lifted her onto his lap.

"You're just growing up so fast. Just yesterday I noticed that you don't have your fine little baby hair anymore. And now you're losing teeth and you're going to start kindergarten next year…I just can't believe you're not my little baby anymore."

Chelsea settled down into his lap and leaned forward against his chest. I smiled and reached out to put my hand over his. I thought it was adorable that he wanted to keep his little girl as his little girl for as long as he could.

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**EPOV**

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I looked down at Chelsea sitting in my lap and sighed.

My little girl had a loose tooth. She was growing up so fast and all I wanted to do was slow her down.

"Daddy?" She asked.

"Hmm?"

"How much longer until my birthday?"

I laughed and reached down to play with one of her curls. Here I was wishing she would stop growing up while she was anxiously awaiting her next birthday.

"About six more months"

"How much longer until your birthday?" She asked me.

"A little bit less than three months." I answered.

"Bella, when is _your_ birthday?" She asked, turning to look at Bella.

I hadn't realized until now that I didn't know Bella's birthday. I felt a little stupid for not even knowing that birthday of the girl I loved.

"February tenth. It's about a month away." She answered.

I was surprised by how close her birthday was. Thank goodness Chelsea asked her. I made a mental note to remember that date.

"I'm going to make you a beautiful birthday present." Chelsea said, smiling hugely at her.

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**A/N:**

**My goodness. I spoil you guys with my fast updates. It's only been like four days and you're all already messaging me like it's the fucking apocalypse that I haven't updated! Don't get me wrong, I love it :) I love that everyone is so addicted to this story!**

**Also, I just added a brand new story. In no way does this mean that I won't be continuing to update this one quickly, because I will. But I would love love love it if you all would go check out the new one and tell me what you think. It's just an idea that I couldn't get out of my head so I decided to give it a shot. It's called **_**My Life as a Trophy Wife**_** and you can go check it out on my profile. **

**I also am adding a new chapter to my Robsten story like literally right now, so go read it!**

**Love you all. Last chapter was SO CLOSE to getting 100 reviews. Let's do it for this chapter!**

**Next chapter: Bella's sleepover with Chelsea and the double date. **

**Jenna. **


	23. Can't Stop Thinking About You

**A/N: I own nothing.**

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**BPOV**

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Is it normal that I was ridiculously excited for a slumber party with a four year old girl?

Probably not, but I was eager nonetheless. It was finally Wednesday, two days after my emotionally and physically amazing makeup with Edward, and I was on my way to his house to see my favorite little girl. I was going to get to spend the remainder of the afternoon, the evening, and the night with Chelsea while Edward was at work.

I pulled into the driveway and hurriedly threw the car in park, eager to get inside. I got out, pulling my bags with me, and walked happily into the open garage to the door that led into the kitchen. Once I got inside I kicked the door shut behind me and put my stuff down on the table. I could hear the noise of the television coming from the living room so I assumed that's where my two favorite people were.

I walked from the kitchen into the living room with a smile on my face and a bounce in my step, but found no Edward. There was only Chelsea, sprawled out across the couch and fast asleep with a blanket covering her bottom half. I had to smile as I looked down at her. Her little lips were in the cutest little pout ever and her soft curls were splayed out all around her face. She had one arm stretched out above her head and one arm extended at her side. Bottom line…she looked adorable.

I was distracted from admiring the beautiful little girl in front of me when I heard strange noises coming from down the hall. It sound like clinking and…_grunting?_

I gave Chelsea one last glance and then walked down the hallway, following the noises. As I walked down the hall, the noises got louder. I noticed that they were coming from a tiny room across from the room where Edward kept the pool and foosball tables. The little room was where he kept his workout equipment. It was barely bigger than the laundry room and since he had designed the floor plan of the house himself, I figured it was probably intended for just that purpose.

I rounded the corner to look around the doorframe and sure enough, there he was. The site in front of me made my mouth fall open a little and my vagina literally heat up in acknowledgment of the pure hotness in front of me.

Edward was on his back on the bench press machine, lifting weights. With each lift he was letting out a rough grunt that sent jolts of excitement straight down to my clit. He had on athletic shorts with no shirt on. His whole body was glistening with sweat, particularly his chest and arms. He looked dead fucking sexy.

When he noticed me standing in the doorway gawking at him, he put the weight down and sat up.

"Hey." He said breathlessly, a smile playing at his lips.

"Hi…" I said, my voice making it obvious how distracted I was.

I tried to tell my eyes to look up at his face but I couldn't stop them from following a drop of sweat down the center ridge of his abs.

"I didn't even hear you come in." he said, wiping his forehead on the back of his forearm.

"Maybe because you were busy in here making sex noises" I said, finally finding the will to look up at his face.

He laughed breathlessly and stood up, grabbing a towel that was slung over the side of the treadmill and wiping at the back of his neck.

"Yeah? Is that what I sound like during sex?" He asked with a smirk.

I shrugged and bit my lip.

"A little bit."

He came over to me placed a quick kiss on my cheek. That wasn't enough for me so I turned my head to place the same kind of kiss on his lips.

"Sorry if I reek. I'm so sweaty I'm probably disgusting."

"You smell fine." I assured him honestly.

He smelled just like his natural musky and manly scent, just intensified.

"I'm sure you're wrong, but thank you nonetheless."

He walked out of the room and towards his bedroom, me following behind him.

"So your daughter looks ridiculously adorable asleep on the couch right now."

"Yeah I know." He said with a smile. "She passed out watching T.V. so I thought I'd let her sleep and get a work out in. I figured if she had a nap she might not get fussy at all with you tonight."

We walked through the door into his bedroom and I closed it behind me so our talking wouldn't wake up Chelsea.

"She hardly ever gets fussy." I said with a shrug. "I'm sure you had nothing to worry about."

"Well it was nice to get a work out in regardless." He said as he walked into his spacious bathroom while I followed. "I have to keep up my fitness for my lady." He added, looking over at me and smirking.

"Damn right you do." I said, leaning back against the counter and folding my arms over my chest. "You have to keep up with my young, hot body. I can't take you out in public looking like Hugh Hefner."

He laughed, opened the shower door, and then turned on the water.

"I'll keep that in mind." He said as he started taking off the little clothes he had on.

"Yeah…" I mumbled absentmindedly as I tried to gather the strength to tear my eyes away from his body and leave the bathroom to give him some privacy.

"You wanna get in with me?" He asked so casually he could have been asking me if I wanted to watch a movie.

"What?" I asked, a little surprised. "But what if Chelsea wakes up?"

He shrugged as he kicked his boxers away from his feet and I tried not to stare at his manhood.

"I doubt she will but we can lock the bathroom door. She knows not to come in if the door is closed anyway…especially if she hears the shower going."

I bit my lip habitually as I considered it.

"But shouldn't someone be out there if she wakes up?"

He laughed softly as he opened the shower door and stepped inside under the water.

"She's not an infant, baby. She can be unattended for a few minutes. I obviously can't watch her every second. What do you think I do every other time I have to shower?"

"Oh…yeah, I guess you're right."

What was I thinking? Of course he was right. She was _his_ daughter. He knew how to take care of her.

"You don't have to." He said as he squirted some shampoo into his hand. "It was just a thought."

"No," I said as I walked over to the door and flicked the lock. "I'd love to join you."

As Edward massaged the shampoo into his hair I quickly undressed. Once I was naked I turned towards the mirror and used the hair tie on my wrist to put my hair up in a bun so it wouldn't get wet.

"There are towels over in that closet." Edward told me as he started rinsing his shampoo out.

I went over to the closet and pulled out a white towel. I then walked over to the shower and hung it up on a hook next to the one his was hung on beside the shower door. I opened the door and got in, my muscles immediately relaxing at the warm temperature he had put the spray on.

He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me over to him until my body was pressed against his. I made sure that I was standing so my hair wasn't being hit by the water.

He took a step forward so that my back was pressed against the wall and moved his arms from my waist to place his forearms against the tile on either side of my head. He leaned forward and kissed my forehead while I ran my hands over his biceps.

"I missed you last night." He whispered against my forehead.

"I missed you too." I whispered back. "Every night that I don't get to spend with you feels like a night wasted."

He nodded his agreement while I moved my arms around his waist to lightly scratch his lower back with my fingertips.

"Thank you for coming to stay with Chelsea."

"You don't have to thank me. I've actually been looking forward to it."

"So has she."

"Speaking of which…I want to ask you something."

"Go for it." He said before kissing my forehead again.

"Well, first of all, you can totally say no if you want to. She's your daughter and it's your decision what you do or don't want me to do with her."

He moved his lips from my forehead and his head down so he could look at me. He had his eyebrows furrowed together in curiosity at what I wanted to ask.

"Okay."

"Well this morning I had plans with my friend Jessica from class to go get our nails done, but then she had to cancel because her cat got sick and she had to make an emergency trip to the vet. So then I was bummed because I really needed a manicure and I knew that Alice and Rosalie were both working. But then I thought, I should totally take Chelsea with me. It would be so adorable to watch her get her nails done."

His curious and hard expression immediately softened into a warm smile.

"Do people even do manicures on four year olds?" He asked.

"Sure they do. Some people even do manicures on babies. I mean, all they would do is just cut her nails and paint them. But if you think she's too young then that's totally fine."

He shook his head and shrugged.

"No, that's fine. She's never had her nails painted before I'm sure she would love it…especially with you."

I smiled and leaned up to peck his lips.

"I think she'll love it too."

"I'll leave some money for you guys. I already put some on the counter for dinner but I'll add some more."

"No, no," I said quickly. "I want to pay for it. It was my idea and it will be a little treat from Bella. It's not expensive, anyway. She's just going to get hers painted so it will literally only be like ten bucks."

He looked down at me with a strange, indecipherable expression.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing's wrong." He answered quickly. "I'm just really glad that she has you around to do those kinds of things with. It's so refreshing to see her have someone besides my mother to do things with that little girls just don't do with their father."

I leaned forward just enough to kiss his shoulder.

"She can depend on me. You both can."

"I know we can." He whispered as he kissed my temple.

When I looked back up at him again he had an even more strange expression on his face.

"Are you sure nothing is wrong?" I asked.

He licked his lower lip and swallowed. It looked like he might be a little nervous.

_Nervous? What the hell?"_

"No, nothing's wrong. I just…well, I want to tell you something. But I'm nervous."

Okay. It wasn't as bad as a 'we need to talk' but 'I want to tell you something, but I'm nervous' is definitely on the list of things you don't want to hear your boyfriend say.

"What is it?" I asked anxiously. "You know you can tell me anything."

"I, uh…"

Suddenly my heart was racing. I was terrified that he was about to say something that I didn't want to hear.

"Just say it, Edward. You're making me anxious…"

He swallowed again, glanced down, and then looked up to burn into my eyes with his.

"I love you, Bella." He said slowly and carefully.

My initial feeling was shock. Did he really just tell me that he loves me? I knew that I had been falling in love with him, but I hadn't anticipated his feelings to be so deep for me as well.

My second feeling was relief. Hearing 'I love you' was definitely a good thing. I was relieved that what he wanted to say was something positive, but my heart was still racing with excitement.

"You do?" I squeaked.

"I do." He answered confidently. "I'm one hundred percent completely in love with you. I realized it the other day while we were in your bed talking, but I was too nervous to tell you."

"Why?" I asked.

"Why do I love you?"

"No, why were you too nervous to tell me?"

"Oh. Because I know that it's really fast. We haven't been together that long…but I just know. I love absolutely everything about you. It's like you were made for both me _and _Chelsea. And I wasn't sure if I should tell you yet but I can't stop thinking about you. Last night I couldn't even sleep because you're all I could think about."

I just stood there staring at him dumbly for a few moments in disbelief of his perfection before I realized something.

"Oh!" I exclaimed loudly, making him jump, when I realized I hadn't said it back yet. "I love you too, Edward." I said with a big smile as I wrapped my arms around his neck.

I hadn't consciously determined prior to his confession that I was in love with him, but I knew with everything inside me that I wanted to say it back. Of course I loved him. He was the most amazing man I'd ever met. And even though it had only been a few months, I felt like I'd known him forever.

He pulled me closer to him and kissed my lips softly with a big smile on his face. His soft and chaste kiss wasn't enough for me, so I pushed my tongue into his mouth and started to make out with him. When he pulled away a little later for air, I clung to him tightly.

"Make love to me." I begged in a whisper before dipping my head down to kiss his neck.

He sighed hesitantly.

"I can't, baby. I've got to leave for work like…now. I've already spent too much time in here."

I sighed solemnly and took a step back with an inevitable pout on my face. I'd completely forgotten that he was about to leave. How annoying. He professes his love for me and then he has to leave a minute later.

He laughed softly and leaned in to kiss my pouted lips.

"I'm sorry. But I promise next chance we get I'll make love to you." He turned his head to kiss my jaw and then whispered against it. "I'll show you with my body just how deep my feelings are for you."

My skin broke out in goose bumps and I shivered.

"I need to get out of this shower before I refuse to let you leave." I said sadly. "And you need to finish up so you can go."

He nodded and kissed my cheek.

"Okay." He agreed.

I kissed him once more time and then moved to get out. As I stepped out of the shower I grabbed the towel I'd hung up and wrapped it around myself.

"Hey, baby?" Edward said as I started to close the door behind me.

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I love you too." I said with a huge smile.

I closed the door behind me and then started to pat myself dry, happier than one person should be allowed. While Edward washed his body, I started putting my clothes back on. While I got dressed I couldn't help continuously sneaking peaks at Edward in the mirror. He was unbelievably sexy and sweet and he loved me. How the hell did I get so lucky?

"I'm gonna go check on Chelsea." I told him.

I knew she probably didn't really need to be checked on but I needed to get out of the bathroom in order to get my hormones in check.

"Okay. I'll be out in a couple minutes." Edward answered.

I let my hair down out of the bun and left the bathroom. I walked through Edward's room, back down the hallway, and into the living room. Chelsea was still asleep on the couch, but had shifted positions. The blanket was now kicked down and tangled around her feet while she was turned over on her stomach. She had one cheek against the couch cushion and her face turned towards me.

I plopped down in the comfy recliner across from the couch and pulled my feet up underneath me. I started playing absentmindedly with a strand of my hair and just stared at Chelsea. I could easily say she was the prettiest little girl I had ever seen. I loved how much she looked like Edward. She had the features of his perfect face, his gorgeous eyes, and even his unruly hair. The only difference was her hair color.

She sighed deeply in her sleep and moved her arm a little. She was so cute I wanted to go over and scoop her up and squeeze her as close to me as I physically could, but I didn't want to wake her…or hurt her.

I watched her for a few minutes until Edward appeared, fully dressed and looking as gorgeous as always. He smiled when he saw me and then gestured for me to follow him into the kitchen. I nodded and got up, trailing behind as he continued down the hall.

"I need your keys." He told me as he walked through the door.

Whenever I stayed with Chelsea without Edward, we always switched cars. I couldn't use Chelsea's car seat in my car because I didn't have a full sized back seat, so I had to drive his.

I went over to my bag on the table and fished my keys.

"Chelsea hasn't lost her tooth yet, but she's been complaining that it's hurting her." He said as I walked over to him and handed him my keys. "So I left the Orajel on my bathroom counter."

"Okay." I said with a nod.

"She's probably going to beg you to let her sleep in my bed with you so that's fine if you want to let her."

"Okay." I said with a smile as I thought about cuddling with Chelsea all night.

"My mom said she can be here around seven so you'll have time to make it to class."

I nodded and tried to smile although I was less than happy about having to see Esme first thing in the morning. I had mixed feelings towards her ever since Edward had told me the story about his dad. I still wasn't fond of Esme by any definition of the word, but it was hard to hate someone who you knew had been beat by their former husband. I wished I didn't have to see her, but someone had to come take care of Chelsea because I was starting my new semester of school tomorrow.

"Looking forward to it" I said sarcastically.

Edward gave me an apologetic smile as he sat down at the kitchen table to put his shoes on.

"You can put a pull up on her before she goes to sleep if you want. She doesn't have accidents very often but I don't want you to have to deal with it if she does."

"Okay."

"What time do you get out of class?"

"My last one ends at four."

"Alright well when I get off work tomorrow I'm gonna come home and sleep for a few hours and then I'll call you around four and we'll go from there, okay?"

The following night Edward and I were finally going on the double date that we had been trying to arrange with Alice and Jasper.

"Okay, sounds good. Is your mom staying with Chelsea again?"

"No, one of the girls from next door is gonna come over."

"Oh, okay."

"Do you want to spend the night tomorrow?"

I chewed on my bottom lip while I considered his question.

"I probably shouldn't. I've got an early class Friday."

"Oh, okay." He said, sounding disappointed.

"Sorry."

"You don't have to apologize, babe. School should always come first. It's important."

"Okay, Dad." I said, laughing.

He laughed with me and then rolled his eyes playfully and stood up.

"I'm gonna wake her up. I want to say goodbye to her and she needs to get up anyway or she won't go to sleep at a decent time tonight."

He left the kitchen again and made his way back to the living room with me following. He went over to kneel down next to where Chelsea was asleep. I sat down on free cushion of the couch next to her as Edward lifted his hand to rub her back.

"It's time to wake up, princess." He whispered to her.

She stirred a little but seemed to remain asleep. Edward leaned in to kiss her forehead and then lifted his hand to smooth back her hair.

"Chelsea, sweetie, Bella is here." He whispered again.

Her eyes slowly fluttered open but she didn't move. She just looked up at Edward sleepily. He smiled at her lovingly and then picked her up and sat down where she had been laying with her on his lap. She immediately cuddled into him. She rested her head on his shoulder and wrapped one of her arms around his neck.

"Did you have a good nap?" He asked her quietly, turning his head to try and look at her face.

Every time I witnessed a moment like this Between Edward and his daughter, it made my heart melt. Even in just the simplest situations, Edward could be so breathtakingly cute with her. It was like the love he had for her just radiated off of him, and I loved it.

She mumbled her answer so softly that I couldn't make it out. I assumed that Edward did though, since her head was on his shoulder.

"Bella's here to stay with you for the night." Edward told her, rubbing his hand up and down her back.

She lifted her head and turned it before putting it back down on Edward's shoulder so that she was facing me.

"Hi, Bella" She said so quietly I barely heard her.

"Hey, sleeping beauty!" I said, smiling at her.

She smiled back at me sleepily and then lifted her hand to her mouth and started sucking on the very tip of her thumb.

"Hey, you know better than that." Edward said, pulling her hand away from her mouth. "Don't put your fingers in your mouth. You're too old for that."

She dropped her hand but kept her pretty green eyes locked on mine as I continued smiling at her. This little girl owned such a big part of my heart it was crazy. After a few moments she broke our eye contact to look over at Edward again.

"Daddy, I have to go potty."

"Give me a kiss goodbye first. I have to leave for work."

She smiled at him, still looking a little sleepy but slightly more alert, and then locked both arms around his neck and placed a huge kiss on his cheek. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her as well in a huge hug as he kissed the top of her head.

"Have fun with Bella, but be good."

"I will." She said as she squirmed out of his arms and then climbed off of his lap.

"Grandma will be here in the morning and then I'll be home just a little while later."

"Okay."

"I love you."

"I love you too, Daddy."

He gave her one more kiss on the forehead and then we both watched as she ran off in the direction of the bathroom. Edward scooted closer to me as she left and played with the denim that covered my thigh.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow." He mumbled.

I laughed a little and reached up to run my fingers through his hair.

"Why do you sound so solemn?"

He shrugged and looked up to meet my eyes.

"Because any moment I have to say goodbye to you is a solemn moment."

I smiled and leaned towards him to peck his lips.

"Tomorrow isn't so far away."

"I suppose." He said with a sigh as he stood up. "I've got to get going."

I stood up and followed him to the door that went out to the garage. On his way he grabbed his cell phone and wallet off of the kitchen counter and pulled my keys out of his pocket. When we got to the door he turned and placed a lingering kiss on my lips.

"Have a good day at work." I said with a smile. "Uh…I mean night."

He laughed and kissed me again.

"Thanks. I'll call you later on to check up on you guys."

"Okay, but I'm positive we'll be fine."

"I know you will. But can't I still call to check on my girls just because I want to?"

"Of course you can…" I said sweetly before pecking his lips a third time.

When we pulled away he licked his bottom lip and his face got all serious.

"I love you."

I had to smile giddily because this was the first time we were saying 'I love you' in a departing manner. I'm a girl. I'm supposed to get excited about those things, right?

"I love you too."

We exchanged another brief kiss and two smiles full of love before Edward left. I sighed as he closed the door behind him. I had totally become one of those people who are so in love they annoy all of the single people in the world.

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Taking Chelsea with me to get her nails done very well could have been the best idea I've ever had. She was so cute that I simply just can't even describe it. When I told her where we were going she could barely contain herself. I was worried that she was going to self-combust with excitement. The whole way to the nail salon she was smiling and bouncing up and down in her car seat. Each time I glanced in the review mirror and saw her I had to smile.

I took her to the same salon that I got my hair done at. We walked in hand in hand with her swinging our arms back and forth impatiently. I led her over to the front desk where I was greeted by the receptionist.

"Hi! Welcome to Vida salon! What can we do for you today?"

"Hi, I don't have an appointment. This was kind of a last minute thing." I told her.

"Oh, that's alright. We welcome walk-ins. What are you looking to have done?"

"A full set of acrylics for me and just a file and color for her." I said, gesturing down to Chelsea.

She nodded and looked down at the clipboard in front of her.

"We have one manicurist available right now. She can do you back to back if that's alright."

"Yeah, that will be fine." I said, smiling politely at her.

"Okay, right this way then."

"Thank you."

She led us through the lobby and down the hallway into a white room. There were about ten different stations set up where women were seated, having their hands tended to. The receptionist led us over to a station towards the back.

"Would you like me to pull up a chair for your daughter?"

At first I didn't know what she was talking about, but then I realized that she was referring to Chelsea. She thought that she was my daughter.

I glanced down at Chelsea to see her looking around the room curiously, not even paying attention to us.

"Um…yeah, that would be great. Thank you."

I'm not sure why I didn't correct her and tell her that Chelsea was unfortunately not mine. I guess it just didn't seem necessary. Chelsea wasn't paying attention anyway. What harm would it do to pretend just for a minute that she was _my_ little girl?

"Okay. I'll go get that chair and she can pick out a color over there." The receptionist said to me, pointing over to a large display of different nail polishes on the wall.

"Okay. Thanks."

"Your manicurist will be with you in a moment."

The receptionist walked away and I put my bag down in my chair.

"Come on, Chels. Let's go pick out a color for your nails."

"Okay!" She said excitedly.

I led her over to the display on the wall and picked her up so that she could see since she wasn't all enough.

"What kind of color do you think you want?"

"I want the same color as you."

"Well I'm not getting a color. I'm getting acrylic nails."

"Then I want that too." She said decisively.

"Those are fake nails, sweetie. You can't get fake nails."

"Why not?"

"You can't get fake nails because your nails are too small and weak. Even if you were big enough for acrylic nails they would ruin your real ones."

She turned her face to look at me with a heart-breaking look of sadness.

"But I want to be matching with you, Bella. I want my nails to look like yours."

I couldn't deny her for two reasons. One, I thought it was adorable that she wanted her nails to match mine. Two, this was her first time getting her nails done and more importantly our first time doing it together. I wanted this trip to be everything she wanted it to be.

"You know what? I think I want to be matching too. How about we both get the same color?"

"Really?" She asked, beaming at me.

"What color do you think will look good on us?"

She turned her head back towards the nail polish and looked at her options carefully.

"This one!" She said excitedly as she pointed to a bottle on the middle rack.

It was a shade of hot pink…the _brightest_ shade of hot pink they had. I laughed and put her down before picking up the bottle.

"Good choice."

I went first getting my nails painted. Chelsea sat on her knees in the chair next to me and watched intently. She seemed intrigued and it was more than cute. By the time it was her turn she couldn't stop smiling and giggling with excitement. She wasn't tall enough to reach the top of the table herself so she sat on my lap while her nails were done. I was proud of her for being able to stay so still in the midst of all the excitement.

I think she literally spent the entire car ride back to Edward's house staring at her nails. She loved them. I have to admit, I didn't mind the florescent pink on my nails as much as I thought I would. It was bright as shit, but it was kind of fun. That fact that she and I were matching made it more fun.

Most people probably wouldn't consider spending their night with a four year old to be a blast, but I actually did have fun. Every time I interacted with her I felt like we were bonding a little more and I loved feeling close to her. I was so thankful that she had accepted me so easily into her and Edward's lives. I knew that she was his number one priority and it was important that she and I had a connection.

As Edward predicted, she asked if she could sleep in his bed with me. She didn't have to beg, though. I was more than willing to let her. After I gave her a bath I set her up in the kitchen with a coloring book while I took a shower. I already had to get up early for class so I figured if I got the shower out of the way that night it would save me time in the morning.

Once we were both bathed and in our pajamas, I put on a movie in Edward's room and we went to bed. My heart warmed when she snuggled into my side.

"Bella?"

"Yeah?"

"Why does Grandma have to come over in the morning? Where are you going?"

"I have to go to school."

"Why? Daddy doesn't go to school."

"That's because your Daddy's already done with school."

"How come you're not done with school yet?"

"Because I'm younger than him and he started school before me."

"Oh." She said, sounding sad.

"What's wrong? Don't you have fun with your Grandma?"

"Yes. But I don't like it when you have to leave."

I smiled and played with her hair.

"But I'll be back soon."

"When?"

"I don't know…but soon."

"I told Daddy that I want you to come live with us." She told me matter-of-factly.

"You did?" I asked, suddenly on alert.

"Yes."

"What made you say that?" I asked.

"Because if you live with us then you can spend the night with me every night"

"What made you think that I could come live with you?"

I felt bad pumping her for information, but I wanted to know how this conversation had gone between her and Edward.

"Because I asked Daddy if he was going to marry you and he said that if he did then you would come live with us and I want you to."

"What did your Daddy say when you told him that you want me to live with you?" I asked, trying to sound casual.

"He said maybe someday. But I think he should marry you now."

It made my heart swell that Chelsea wanted me to marry her father, even if it was only so that she could have sleepovers with me every night. She was way ahead of schedule though. We had only just made it to the 'I love you' point in our relationship.

Little did I know, however, that Edward and I were both about to be reminded that life doesn't always happen on a schedule.

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"Wait, so you don't know if he is gay or not?"

"Oh no, honey, he is definitely gay. He is a total flamer in _all_ the right ways."

"Then what's the problem?"

Evan had stopped by my apartment to keep me company while I got ready to go out with Edward, Alice, and Jasper and to catch me up on the latest happenings in his life. It also worked to my advantage to have him there because he could help me pick out my outfit.

He sighed as he flipped through all of my shirts hanging in my closet. He was in the middle of telling me about a guy, Trevor, that he had been hanging out with a lot.

"It's just that I usually wait for the other guy to make the first move like, physically. And he hasn't made a move yet. I mean, we're constantly together and I know he has to be gay. I just can't tell if he's not out yet or if he's only into me as a friend."

"Well maybe he's like you. Maybe he always waits for the other guy to make the first move." I suggested.

"Hmm…interesting theory, Bellalicious. Here, put this is in the maybe pile." He said, handing me a shirt.

"Or maybe he hasn't been out for very long so he's just nervous." I said as I took the shirt from him and put it on my bed with the other three shirts he had deemed as maybes.

"Maybe, but _I_ like being the girl in the relationship and I don't like having to take the initiative in the courting process"

"Well maybe if you just make the first move that will break the ice and let him know you're interested and _then_ you can presume the feminine role."

"I suppose. I don't want to talk about Trevor anymore. It makes me so anxious I'm getting my panties in a bunch."

"Well we certainly don't want that." I said, laughing.

"What about you and your doctor? Is everything going good? Still enjoying the personal pelvic exams you're getting from that chunk of sexy?"

I laughed and sat down on my bed while he continued sifting through my wardrobe.

"Yes. More than good, actually…everything is amazing."

"What a shame."

"Why is that a shame?"

"Because that means he's still taken." He said, turning to look at me and winking.

"I don't think you're his type, Evan."

"Try this one on. I haven't seen it on you before." He said, tossing me a shirt.

I stripped off the shirt I had on and put the new one on. I then stood up and modeled it for him.

"What do you think?"

"No. It's super cute on the hanger but it does nothing for your figure."

"I can always count on you, my little fashionista." I said as I took the shirt back off and tossed it on a chair.

"So Alice and her man are still going strong?" He asked.

"As far as I know, yes, they are still going strong. That's who Edward and I are going out with tonight."

"Wouldn't Rose normally be included in that group? I thought you two made up?"

"We did. But it's sort of like a double date thing."

"Ah, I see. And of course Rose isn't seeing anyone to bring along."

"Nope"

"What a shame. I love that girl to death, she's a blast to party with, but she gets around more than a damn greyhound bus. She needs to settle down to one ride for a while. It might do her some good."

I sighed and started playing with the fabric of my bedspread.

"Well, one of Edward's friends has been asking her out pretty adamantly. I'm hoping she'll finally give in."

"Oh, is little Bella playing matchmaker?"

"Not really. I'm just hoping it will happen on its own. He's a really good guy and I think he would be good for her. I think maybe he could…" I paused, trying to find the right word. "…tone her down a bit."

"Well hot damn. You've got your sexy doctor, Ali has doctor's bff, I've got Trevor I-want-to-fuck-a-lot, and Rosie might have another one of doctor's buddies!"

"Yeah, everyone's getting a man I guess." I laughed.

"Indeed. It's raining men."

"Hallelujah!"

He was totally quoting the cheesiest song ever besides the Macarena and I totally had to quote it right back.

He laughed giddily and started swaying his hips as he sang out the next line..._loudly_.

"_It's raining men! Amen!"_

I laughed harder and sang right back to him, swaying my hips as he just had.

"_It's raining men! Every specimen!"_

I half expected Evan to just laugh and not respond, but I should have known better. He loved any excuse to sing and be theatrical.

"_Tall! Blonde! Dark and lean!" _

As he sang he danced his way out of my closet, waving his arms around with full out fucking jazz fingers.

So now I was faced with a choice. My gay friend clearly wanted to engage in a sing and dance-along with me. Was a down for that?

…of-fucking-course I was.

"_Rough and tough and strong and mean!"_ I sang as I danced/climbed my way onto my bed.

Even climbed up on the bed with me where we stood facing each other, dancing around and singing back and forth to one another. I'm sure we looked ridiculous, particularly me. I was only dressed in my shorts and a bra. The part that we had sung so far was nothing, because when we started the next verse…Evan went all out. He, actually a pretty good singer, started singing and dancing both loudly and proudly.

"_God Bless mother nature! She's a single woman too!"_ He belted out into my face.

"_She took on the heavens! And she did what she had to do!"_ I sang right back at him.

I wasn't singing with as much power as him, but I was still pretty loud. He turned to the side and gave me a hip bump when he sang the next line, making me laugh.

"_She fought every angel! She rearranged the sky!" _He sang.

When he turned back towards me I wrapped my arms around his neck and we started jumping together on my bed, still simultaneously swaying our hips.

"_So that each and every woman!_"I sang.

"_And gay man!" _Evan added even though it wasn't part of the song_._

"_Could find the perfect guy!" _I finished.

We started singing the next part, very loud and obnoxiously, together.

"_It's raining men! Hallelujah!_

_It's raining men! Amen!"_

I stopped singing and dancing abruptly when something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. My bedroom door was now open and there, standing in the doorway looking thoroughly both surprised and amused, was Edward.

I immediately dropped my arms from Evan's neck, putting my hands behind my back nervously, but he didn't catch on. I think he was lost in his own gay little world. He went back to the whole jazz hands thing and continued singing.

"Evan!" I said as I nudged him in the ribs,

"Ow! What was that for, you skank?"

"We have company." I mumbled as I bit my lip and gestured to the doorway behind him where Edward stood.

"Hey, look it! It really is raining men! Bella's gynecologist is here!"

"He's not my gynecologist, Evan." I said.

"Maybe not professionally" He said, turning back towards me with a smile.

I rolled my eyes and hopped down off the bed. I walked over to Edward, slowly, with a shy smile on my face.

"Hi." I said timidly.

I was beyond embarrassed.

"Hello." He said, the amusement _very_ clear in his voice.

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to enjoy a pretty good show" He said with a smirk.

I looked down at the carpet as I felt the blush rise to my cheeks.

"Nice…" I mumbled.

I looked over at Evan when I heard him hop off the bed. He didn't look embarrassed in the slightest bit.

"Well now that your hot date is here, I suppose I'm gonna head out."

"Okay." I said quietly.

"You can wear any of the maybe shirts. You'll look hot in any of them."

"Thanks. I'll call you."

"M'kay. Have a blast tonight. Love you."

"Love you too…"

"Bye, doctor dreamy." He said, looking at Edward.

"Bye, Evan. Nice to see you again." Edward answered, trying to hold back laughter.

"The pleasure was all mine."

He grabbed his keys off of the top of my bookshelf, blew me a kiss, and then left.

"So," Edward said with a big smile as he walked over to wrap his arms around my waist. "Do you do that often?"

"Do what? I have no idea what you're talking about." I insisted.

He laughed and kissed my cheek.

"You look beautiful."

"I'm not even dressed yet, Edward."

"I know. And you look beautiful."

"Well, thanks. You look good, too"

He was dressed well, but I frowned when I got a better look at his face.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"You look good, but you look tired. Did you not get any sleep today?"

"A little bit." He said with a shrug. "But work was kind of stressful last night."

"I'm sorry." I said, brushing my thumb along the dark spot under his eye.

"You could have cancelled for tonight."

"I know, but I didn't want to. Jasper and Alice keep asking us to go out with them so I want to go."

"Alright" I said as I nodded. "Do you want to tell me what was so stressful about work?"

"I do, actually. But I'll tell you on the way to the restaurant. I don't wanna be late."

"Okay, sure, just let me get dressed real quick."

He nodded and went to sit down in my desk chair while I went to go pick out one of the 'maybe' outfits Evan had selected. When I glanced over my shoulder at him he was staring off into space, looking distracted and far away.

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**A/N:**

**A lot of people REALLY enjoyed the lemon last chapter. All I have to say is…that's what you get when the author is a horny pregnant chick :)**

**Next chapter: Why Edward is acting weird and date with Alice/Jasper.**

**I'm sorry that I left out the encounter with Esme. One, I didn't feel like writing her bitchy-ness. Two, this chapter would have been really too long.**

**I'm also sorry that we didn't get more sleepover time between Bella and Chelsea, but we have more important things that we need to get to. I don't know how in the world this story already has 23 chapters. I haven't even scratched the surface of everything I have planned.**

**Leave me some love**

**Jenna**

**P.S. Add me on twitter! I just got an account! (at)JennaRayFF**


	24. Heart Breaking Encounter

**A/N: Apparently I really scared you guys thinking that something horrible was going on with Edward. All is well between him and Bella. This chapter should clear all of that up. This story is angsty, but its all angst that Edward and Bella will face **_**together**_**. Everybody breathe, okay?**

**I own nothing having to do with Twilight.**

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**EPOV**

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"How has it only been four hours since I got here?"

"Time can be a wicked thing, Cullen."

I was leaning over the counter of the Nurse's station, taking a much needed short break, and sipping on a cup of coffee. As I quickly tried to down the shitty hospital coffee I bitched to Kate, the nurse that Bella had met, about how tired I was. The truth was that I was just in a bad mood because I hated knowing Bella was at my home with my daughter and I couldn't be there with them. The next time I would see Bella was the next night when we went out with Jasper and Alice. It was only twenty four hours but it felt like forever.

"Bella's taking Chelsea to get her first manicure." I said, just making conversation.

"Isn't she a little young for that?" Kate asked from where she sat, filing papers.

"Apparently not. Bella says kids even younger than her get them all the time."

"Well if Holy Bella says it, it must be true." She said jokingly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, laughing.

"Nothing. You just talk about her with such reverence. It's cute, though. I've never seen you so happy."

"I've never _been_ so happy. Bella's amazing."

"Apparently so…she's all you talk about these days."

"She's all I _think_ about these days."

"Ugh, stop. You're gonna make me sick." She said with a smile.

"What? You're a girl. Aren't you supposed to think that shit's cute?"

"No. I'm a lesbian. I'm immune."

I finished my cup of coffee and then tossed it in the garbage and went to go hit the bathroom before I got back to work. As I walked down the hallway I noticed a little boy sitting on a chair in the hallway by himself. He was looking around anxiously and seemed a little disoriented. I wondered if he was lost. As I got closer to him I noticed that he didn't look so good. He looked really sick as if he might throw up or something. He looked really young. He couldn't be much older than Chelsea. He was wearing jeans and a puffy jacket with a beanie and was clutching tightly to a small blanket.

"Hey, buddy." I said as I approached him. "You alright?"

He looked up at me and nodded but didn't say anything.

"What are you doing all by yourself?"

"I'm waiting for my mommy." He said quietly.

"Where is she?" I asked, kneeling down to his level.

"In there" He said, pointing to a door across the hall from where he stood.

"What is she doing in there?"

"She's talking to the doctor."

"About you?"

He nodded again but didn't say anything more.

"Are you sick?" I asked, trying to keep my voice as friendly and casual as possibly. I didn't want to freak him out.

Once again, he only nodded. I decided not to ask anything else about his condition. He was a small child anyway. He probably didn't know what was going on.

"Your mom left you out here all by yourself?"

"Yes. She told me not to go anywhere."

I sighed and chewed on the inside of my bottom lip, trying to decide what to do. This kid shouldn't have been left alone. I decided that I would wait with him, because I wasn't going to leave him in the hallway by himself.

"I'm gonna stay here until your mommy comes out, okay?"

"Okay."

I sat down on the floor next to the chair he was in with my back against the wall.

"So what's your name?"

"Nathan."

"It's nice to meet you, Nathan. I'm Dr. Cullen."

He looked over at me but didn't respond.

"How old are you?" I asked.

"Five."

Before I could say anything else, the door that he had pointed to opened up and an exasperated woman walked out. She was a good looking woman, but that was covered up by how frazzled and exhausted she looked. She was dressed in sweats with no makeup on and messy hair. She turned to look at Nathan and gave me a curious look when she noticed me.

"Hi," I said as I stood up and extended my hand to her. "I'm Dr. Cullen."

"Um, hi. Can I help you?"

She didn't even bother to shake my hand. She shifted her purse onto her shoulder and went over to pick up her son out of the chair.

"No. I was just waiting with your son. He really shouldn't be left out here by himself."

"I don't need your advice on parenting my child. I have my hands full enough without your criticism."

I was going to apologize for offending her, but she had already turned away from me and was walking down the hall before I got the chance. Oh well. Good riddance to her. She was a major bitch.

I shrugged it off and continued down the hall to the bathroom. I used the toilet and then went to wash my hands and splash some water on my face. When I was done I dried my hands and decided to call Bella just to check in with her. I missed her even though I'd only seen her a few hours earlier and I was excited just at the prospect of hearing her voice. I took out my phone as I left the bathroom and then lingered in the hallway as I pressed her speed dial number and waited for her to answer.

"Hello?" She answered after the second ring.

"Hi, baby. How is everything going?"

"Perfect. We're having a blast."

"Yeah? What are you doing right now?"

"We're lying in your bed watching a movie while Chelsea falls asleep."

"She's not out yet?"

I looked down and glanced at my watch. It was a little after eight thirty so it was about her normal time to be falling asleep.

"No, not yet. Do you want to talk to her?"

"Sure."

I heard some rustling on the other end and Bella whispering before Chelsea spoke into the phone.

"Hi, Daddy!" She said happily. She sounded tired but happy to be talking to me.

I couldn't help but smile at the sound of her voice.

"Hi, princess. Are you being good for Bella?"

"Yes."

"Are you having fun?"

"Yes. Bella took me to get my fingernails painted and they're so beautiful, Daddy."

"Well I'm glad you enjoyed it. What color are they?"

"Pink! And guess what!"

"What?"

"Bella got the same color I did! We're matching!"

"That's exciting. I'm sure you both look beautiful."

"I wish you were here with us, Daddy. I miss you."

My heart broke every time I ever heard Chelsea say she missed me. I loved that she wanted me around because I knew one day she would be a teenager and want nothing to do with me.

"I wish I was there with you, too. But Grandma is going to take you to pre-school tomorrow and then I'll be there to pick you up."

"Good."

"I've got to go, sweetie. I need to get back to work soon. Can I talk to Bella?"

"Okay."

"I love you. Sweet dreams."

"Love you too, Daddy."

There was rustling again and then some laughing.

"Hey." Bella said after a moment.

"Hey. I'm gonna go grab something from the vending machine to eat and then I've got to get back to work. I just wanted to call and make sure you guys were doing okay."

"Yeah, we're great."

"Good. I'll call you tomorrow."

"Okay. Have a good night."

"You too, babe. Sleep well, okay?"

"I will. I've got my little snuggle buddy with me."

"Mm. I'm jealous. I want some snuggles from my little girl."

"Well, too bad. Tonight I get them all to myself."

"Alright, well enjoy." I said, laughing.

"Oh I will."

"I love you."

"Love you too. I'll talk to you later."

I still hadn't used to Bella saying 'I love you.' Each time felt like the first and made me just as giddy.

"Alright. Bye, baby."

"Bye."

I shoved my phone into my pocket and then went to head for the vending machine. I wasn't starving but I was getting hungry so I needed something to hold me over until my next break. As I approached the vending machine I sighed. There, standing in front of it, was bitch mom. She was inserting a dollar bill into the machine while balancing a now sleeping Nathan on one hip. I wasn't about to say anything so I just waited behind her awkwardly. The machine took her dollar and then vended the kitkat bar she had selected. She bent down to take it out of the dispenser and did a double take when she turned around and saw me.

"Oh, you again…hi." She said, sounding almost embarrassed.

"Uh…hi." I walked passed her and took out my wallet to find a dollar bill.

I was hoping she would just walk away. I had no interest in making conversation with her, especially after she had been such a bitch to me.

"Um, look," She started hesitantly. "I want to apologize for being so rude to you in the hallway earlier. I felt really bad about it once I walked away."

"It's okay." I told her dismissively.

I inserted my dollar bill into the machine and pressed the button for a bag of chips.

"No, it's not. You didn't deserve to have my frustrations taken out on you. It's just that…my son is really sick and I had just received some bad news right before I saw you."

When she mentioned her son I glanced down at the sleeping little boy in her arms. I felt bad for her. It was a horrible feeling to see your child sick.

"What does he have?" I asked.

She looked down at him sadly. When she looked back up at me to answer, she had tears in her eyes.

"He's a leukemia patient."

I felt my eyes widen at her words. I could visibly see that he was sick, but I had no idea it was so severe.

"Oh my God…" My voice trailed off in sadness. "I'm so sorry."

"Thank you. I'm not trying to make you feel bad for us. I just wanted to apologize for snapping at you. I'm sorry."

"No, no, don't worry about it. I can't even imagine how I would be acting if my child was going through that. You're handling it much better than I think I would."

"You have kids?"

"Just one daughter"

"How old is she?"

"four"

"Well you can understand me somewhat then, I think." She said, looking back down at her son. "You know the love that a parent has for their child."

I nodded as my heart broke for this woman.

"I _do_ understand that. There's nothing in the world that means more to me than my daughter's health."

"Exactly. It just makes me frantic that there is nothing I can do for him."

"If you don't mind me asking…what news did you just receive?"

"That I'm not a match for a bone marrow transplant. That's why we're here…for some tests. And then it's back to the children's hospital across town. Apparently once they decide that the transplant may be the best option, they test the family first. It's just me and him so I got tested a few days ago."

"He doesn't have any other family?"

"Unfortunately, no. His father has never been part of the picture and he doesn't have any brothers or sisters. I'm an only child and my parents have both passed away so there's no extended family either."

I felt even worse for this woman that she was going through this alone. I knew all about being a single parent, but I couldn't imagine doing it under her son's circumstances."

"To be honest, I'm feeling a little bit at a loss for words right now. I wish that I knew the appropriate thing to say, but all I can think about is how sorry I am for you."

"Thank you. I know it's kind of an awkward thing to address. Hopefully we will find a match soon, though. His doctor's think that he would respond well to a transplant."

"Well I hope that he gets everything he needs."

"Thank you. We better get going. It was nice to meet you."

"It was nice to meet you too. And your son."

"I'm Lauren, by the way. Lauren Mallory." She said with an awkward smile.

"I'm Edward."

I extended my hand to her again and this time she actually shook it with her free one.

"So I got upgraded from Dr. Cullen to Edward?" She asked.

"Looks like it."

"Well it was nice to meet you, Edward. Have a good night."

"You too. And best of luck with everything."

"Thank you."

We exchanged awkward parting smiles and then she walked past me and went on her way. I looked over my shoulder for one last glance at Nathan and felt my face shift into a sad expression. All I could think about was how devastated I would be if that were my daughter.

.

.

.

.

.

.

"_hey baby im leaving now to come get u"_

I texted Bella to let her know I was on my way to her apartment. She answered me only a minute later.

"_Ok. Evan is here keeping me company while I get ready. Front door is unlocked. Just come in."_

I was exhausted. I didn't get very much sleep because of Chelsea. I picked her up from pre-school and then had to fix her lunch. After lunch she wanted to play and I couldn't just leave her alone while I passed out for the rest of the day. The only amount of sleep I got was when I somehow managed to convince her to take a nap. We snoozed in my bed for about an hour and a half before she woke me up, saying she wasn't tired anymore.

As tired as I was, the last thing I wanted to do was cancel going out with Jasper and Alice. Then I would just have to deal with the pain of rescheduling and I didn't want to have to do that with my busy work schedule. I preferred to spend any time I got off of work either with my daughter or alone with Bella. I also knew that Bella was excited about going out with them, so I wanted to make it for her sake if nothing else.

I gave the babysitter the quick overview of rules that I normally did, and then left for Bella's apartment. My phone rang as I was backing out of the driveway. I thought it would be Bella or Jasper but when I glanced at the screen I saw it was a number I didn't recognize.

"Hello?"

"Edward?"

The voice sounded familiar but I didn't place it right away.

"Yes, this is Edward. Who is this?"

"This is Rosalie."

"Oh, hey. How are you?" I asked, wondering why she was calling.

"I'm doing well, actually. How are you?"

"I'm decent. How did things go with that James guy? I'm hoping you broke it off with him?"

"You could say that. I haven't spoken to him since that night so I'm assuming he got the point. He's tried to call but I've been ignoring his messages."

"Good. I'm glad to hear that."

I really was glad to hear that she was cutting herself off from him, but I still didn't understand why she was calling.

"Yeah, it feels good. Um…I talked to your friend Emmett yesterday."

"Yeah?" I asked awkwardly.

I was assuming that Rosalie didn't know that I knew she had been sleeping with him, so I didn't really know what to say when she brought him up.

"Yeah. Uh…I don't know if you know this or not, but he's asked me out a few times now."

"Yeah, he mentioned he was going to ask you out."

"Well, I've been saying no. And it's not because I don't like him…I do. I just…well, you know I have issues when it comes to guys. And I guess I just somehow convinced myself that he's too good for me."

"That's not true, Rosalie. You don't give yourself enough credit."

"Well…I really want to say yes to him. But do you remember how I said that I wanted to go to therapy?"

"Yeah"

"Well I think I need to do that first. I mean before I get involved with anyone."

"I think that's a good idea. Emmett likes you a lot, I'm sure he won't have a problem waiting until you're ready."

"I hope so. That's actually why I'm calling. I was wondering if you could give me the number to the therapist you went to? I want to go to one that I know is good."

"Yeah, she's great. And I will absolutely give you the number. I have it saved on my phone. I'm actually on my way to your apartment right now to pick up Bella. I can give it to you when I get there if you want."

"I'm actually not there. I'm on my way to the library."

"Oh, okay. Well can I text it to you then?"

"Yeah, sure"

"Alright. I'll text to you as soon as I park the car."

"Okay, great. And Edward?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you not mention this conversation to Bella either? I still haven't told her my story and nobody other than you knows I'm planning on going to therapy."

"Yeah, sure. It'll stay between us."

"Okay. Thanks a lot, Edward."

"No problem. And if you ever need anything or someone to talk to, please don't hesitate to call me. It's not easy dealing with things on your own."

"Thank you. I appreciate that."

"Good luck with the therapist. Let me know how it goes, okay?"

"Okay, I will. I'll talk to you later. Have fun with Bella tonight."

"Alright, thanks. Bye, Rosalie."

"Bye."

I hung up my phone and put it down in my cup holder. I felt a little weird knowing something about Bella's best friend that she didn't know, but I didn't feel bad. If Rosalie wasn't ready to share her tragic story with Bella, that was her business. It wasn't my place to tell her. If I was the only one that Rosalie felt comfortable confiding in at the moment, then so be it. I think it was because she didn't know me very well. She knew that I had been through my own tribulations in life and I could relate, but I wasn't someone that she had kept her story from throughout an entire friendship. I was just an acquaintance willing to listen.

As I pulled up at Bella's apartment, my mind was racing. Unfortunately, the thoughts were all morose. First of all, I couldn't take my mind off of the little boy with leukemia I had met at the hospital. Secondly, I was also thinking in the back of my mind about a thirteen year old boy we had lost in surgery at the hospital early that morning. I hadn't been the one performing the surgery, but I was there when the body was taken out of the room and that was always depressing to witness. And lastly, I was now thinking about Rosalie's issues. The Rosalie thing wasn't as sad, though. It did bring me some happiness to know that she was working her shit out and getting help.

As I got out of my car I looked up the number to my therapist and forwarded the number to Rosalie in a text message. I put my phone in one pocket and my keys in the other before heading up the stairs to Bella's front door. It was unlocked, just as she had said it would be. I walked in and immediately heard shouting coming from Bella's room. I hurried towards her door, concerned at first, but when I got closer I realized that it was singing.

I slowly opened the door to Bella's bedroom and smiled widely when my eyes met the sight in front of me. Bella, dressed in a tiny pair of shorts and a pink bra, was jumping around on her bed singing 'it's raining men' with her friend. It was quiet possibly the funniest and the cutest thing I had ever seen. And by cute I mean Bella of course, not her friend.

I leaned up against the door jam and stood in her doorway with a smile on my face as I watched her. Her long wavy hair was flowing around her as she danced around and I couldn't help but notice her perfect breasts bouncing around in her bra. I normally would have been extremely unnerved by the fact that there was another male in the room to witness it, but I knew that her friend was gay so I didn't mind.

As soon as Bella's eyes fell on me and she noticed my presence, she froze. Her cheeks immediately flooded red and her arms snapped down at her sides with her hands behind her back. Her friend, who didn't notice me, continued singing.

"Evan!" Bella yelled, smacking his side.

"Ow! What was that for, you skank?" He screeched.

"We have company." She mumbled, biting her lip and gesturing to me.

"Hey, look it!" Her friend said loudly when he turned and saw me. "It really is raining men! Bella's gynecologist is here!"

"He's not my gynecologist, Evan." Bella said quietly, sounding embarrassed.

"Maybe not professionally" Evan said, turning to her with a smirk.

Bella rolled her eyes and then hopped off of the bed and started walking towards me slowly, smiling at me nervously.

"Hi." She said softly.

"Hello." I said, trying to give her a reassuring smile.

I don't know why she seemed so embarrassed. I thought her singing and dancing around was adorable. She shouldn't be embarrassed to be herself in front of me.

"How long have you been standing there?" She asked.

"Long enough to enjoy a pretty good show"

"Nice…" She muttered quietly.

Evan jumped off of her bed with a loud thud and looked over at us.

"Well now that your hot date is here," He said to Bella. "I suppose I'm gonna head out."

"Okay." Bella answered.

"You can wear any of the maybe shirts. You'll look hot in any of them." He told her.

I glanced over at the bed to see a selection of shirts sitting on her bed next to where they had just been jumping.

"Thanks. I'll call you." Bella answered.

"M'kay. Have a blast tonight. Love you."

"Love you too…"

"Bye, doctor dreamy." Evan said to me with a sly smile.

"Bye, Evan. Nice to see you again." I answered, trying not to laugh.

"The pleasure was all mine." He insisted, making me feel awkward.

As soon as he left I turned to the beautiful girl standing in front of me.

"So," I started, smiling as I went over and wrapped my arms around her. "Do you do that often?"

"Do what? I have no idea what you're talking about." She said, totally straight faced.

I laughed at her cuteness and kissed her cheek, taking a deep breath of her scent.

"You look beautiful." I told her.

"I'm not even dressed yet, Edward."

"I know. And you look beautiful."

It was true. Bella would always be beautiful to me in any form. It didn't matter if she was naked, dressed up, or in her pajamas. She was my beautiful girl either way.

"Well, thanks. You look good too." She told me.

A moment later her face dissolved into a concerned looking expression.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"You look good, but you look tired. Did you not get any sleep today?"

"A little bit. But work was kind of stressful last night."

I wasn't really stressed as much as I just had a lot on my mind, but I didn't really know how to explain that to her.

"I'm sorry." She said, touching a spot underneath my eye. Great, I probably had bags under my eyes. "You could have cancelled for tonight."

"I know, but I didn't want to. Jasper and Alice keep asking to go out with them so I want to go."

"Alright" She said, nodding. "Do you want to tell me what was so stressful about work?"

That's my girl…always wanting to comfort me. It blew me away how she always put my feelings and well-being before her own. She was incredibly selfless. Not just in our relationship, but in life. And I _did_ want to tell her was on my mind, with the exception of the Rosalie thing of course. Bella was my rock. I knew that if something was bothering me that I could tell her and that she would listen without hesitation.

"I do, actually. But I'll tell you on the way to the restaurant. I don't wanna be late."

"Okay, sure, just let me get dressed real quick."

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**BPOV**

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As Edward opened up my car door for me, I turned his face to look at me.

"Should I be worried?"

"Why would you need to be worried?" He asked, looking genuinely confused.

"I don't know. You're just acting so distant right now and I can't figure out what's on your mind."

He sighed and grabbed my hand and lifted it to the side of his neck, holding his hand over mine.

"I'm sorry I'm acting weird, but no…you have nothing to worry about. I'm gonna tell you right now what's going on."

"Okay."

I reached up on my toes to kiss his lips quickly and then pulled my hand away from his neck and took my seat in his car. He reached out to squeeze my thigh gently and then shut my door and walked around to the driver side. He got in and then sighed deeply as he started the car.

"So last night at work," He started as he backed out of his parking space. "I saw this little kid sitting in the hallway by himself. So I went over and asked him why he was alone and he said that his mom left him there while she talked to his doctor. I didn't want to leave him there alone, so I sat down to wait with him. He told me that his name was Nathan and he was five years old…he was a really cute kid, too. So I sit there and wait with him until his mom comes out a couple minutes later. I tried to introduce myself and tell her that I was waiting with her kid because he shouldn't be left alone in the hospital hallway like that. Well she freaks out and starts bitching at me, saying that she doesn't appreciate my criticism."

"Okay" I said when he paused to let him know I was listening.

"So she picked him up and just walked off like a total bitch. I just brushed it off and turned the other way to go to the bathroom. So I used the bathroom, called you, and then went to the vending machines to get something to eat. And when I get there, the same lady is standing in front of me. I stood there and waited my turn, hoping she would just walk away, but she didn't. When she was done she turned around and started apologizing for being so rude. So then we start talking and it turned out that her son has leukemia and she had just found out that she's not a match to donate her bone marrow for a transplant that he needs."

"Oh my God, that's horrible…" I said, saddened by imagining the sick little boy.

"Isn't it? And to make it even worse he doesn't have any family. It's literally just him and his mom. No father, no siblings, not even grandparents or cousins."

"Wow…no wonder she was such a bitch to you. I can't imagine how stressful that must be for her."

"I know. All I've been thinking about ever since they walked away from me is how devastated I would be if Chelsea had to go through that. I think it would literally kill me."

My heart ached just at the thought of Chelsea being that sick.

"Ugh. Don't even say that. I don't even want to think about my little girl being that sick." I said sadly.

His eyes darted over to me and he gave me a funny look.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing, it's just…you just called her your little girl."

"Oh." I said, my brain quickly going into back-peddling mode. "Well I didn't mean my little girl as in _mine_…I know she's not my daughter…I just…I don't know…" I mumbled, my sentence trailing off awkwardly.

"No, no, you don't have to explain yourself. I didn't mean that in a bad way, baby. I was just surprised you said that."

"Oh." I said, not sure how else to respond to that.

Edward reached over and took my hand to hold it between us.

"I'm glad you think of her that way." He said, squeezing my hand gently.

I looked over at him and smiled. I was glad that he was glad that I thought about her that way.

"So this little boy with leukemia…that's what's got you all lost in thought?"

"Yeah. I just feel horrible for him and his mother. It's not fair that shit like that happens to people but especially little kids."

"Yeah…it's a horrible situation."

"It is. And on top of that we lost a thirteen year old kid in surgery early this morning. I wasn't the one doing the surgery, but I was there so it was still depressing."

"Oh geez, baby. It sounds like you had a pretty heavy night…"

"Yeah" He said with a sigh.

"You know, if you'd rather just stay in and relax we could call them and just say that something came up." I offered.

"No, we should go." He answered.

"Okay, if you're sure."

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"I love you." I said randomly, although it wasn't so random to me. Every time I looked at Edward that's all I could think about.

He glanced over at me and his face melted into a beautiful grin. His eyes shifted back to the road and he lifted my hand to his lips to place an open mouthed kiss at the place where my palm met my wrist.

"I love you too, babe." He whispered against my skin before lowering our hands back down between us.

I sighed and turned my head to look out of the window as we made our way to the restaurant that we were supposed to meet Alice and Jasper at.

"It's cloudy out…" I commented.

"Mm, yeah," Edward agreed. "I wonder if it's gonna start raining men."

"Don't make fun of me!" I said as I pulled my hand out of his so I could smack his shoulder.

He laughed and grabbed my hand again quickly and laced out fingers together.

"I'm sorry, you were adorable…really." He said through his laughter.

"I can't believe you saw that. I don't act that way all the time. I guess Evan just brings out that side of me."

"Guess so." He said as he laughed died off into chuckling.

"So embarrassing…" I mumbled.

"Your nails look good by the way. Chelsea told me she picked out the color."

"Yeah, she did…hence the highlighter pink. I was going to get acrylic nails but she insisted we be matching so I decided to just let her pick a color for both of us."

By this time we were pulling into the parking lot of the restaurant. Edward circled around until he found a space and then pulled in and shifted into park.

"You didn't have to give in to her." He said as he pulled the key out of the ignition.

"I know. But it was her first time getting her nails done and our first time doing it together so I wanted it to be perfect for her."

Unexpectedly, he leaned over to me and placed a quick but passionate kiss on my lips. He was twisted around fully to face me while my back was pressed against the back of my seat.

"It never ceases to amaze me how amazing you are with her." He whispered after pulling away only about an inch.

I hooked my arm over his shoulder and put my hand on the back of his neck. I looked into his eyes, which were gazing at me with pure love, for a moment before leaning forward to kiss his lips again.

"It never ceases to amaze me how amazing you are in general." I whispered back.

He leaned forward so that my head was pressed back into my headrest and kissed me again, this time pushing tongue into my mouth gently. I kissed him back eagerly and moaned at the contact when he circled his tongue around mine. As our lips began to move more passionately against each other, he lifted his hand to cradle the side of my face.

I loved the way that Edward made me feel when he kissed me. He made me feel so adored and cherished. Each touch from him felt like a proclamation of love and made my skin feel electrified. It was like I was more sensitive to his touch than I ever had been to anyone else's.

After kissing me for what didn't feel like long enough, even though it never would no matter how much time he gave me, he broke the contact of our lips and left my breathing heavily. At first he pulled just his lips away and kept his forehead pressed against mine. Then he pulled away a little more to just look at me.

"We should go inside." I whispered as I tried to keep my now heavy lidded eyes open. "I bet they're waiting for us."

He nodded, kissed my forehead, and then pulled back into his own seat and opened his door. I followed suit and opened mine as well and then stepped out. He locked the car, shoved his keys into his pocket, and then walked around the front of the car to meet me and take my hand. I glanced over at his face just as he was licking his bottom lip.

_How is it that just the sight of Edward licking his bottom lip can make me horny?_

We walked into the restaurant and I was immediately glad that Edward had made a reservation because there were a bunch of people waiting. Edward led the way over to the hostess counter where a blonde girl who looked about my age greeted him with a smile that was a little too friendly for my liking.

"Hi, how are you this evening?"

"Fine, thank you. We have a reservation for seven O'clock."

"What name is it under?"

"Cullen for four"

She scanned down the list about halfway and then looked up at Edward with another bright smile.

"The other half of your party is already here. Let me show you to your table."

She led us through the restaurant and over to a booth where Alice and Jasper were already seated. Jasper was sipping on a beer and Alice was sipping on some sort of cocktail. The hostess put down two more menus for Edward and I and then told us our waiter would be right with us and walked off back towards the front of the restaurant.

Jasper stood up and muttered a 'hey' as he gave Edward one of those half hug half handshake bromance/man things. Alice stood up and squealed happily as she threw her arms around me in a big hug.

"Hey! I feel like I haven't seen you in forever!"

"I know. I've missed you!" I answered as we pulled away from our hug.

Alice and Jasper both took their seats again and Edward and I followed suit. I slid in to our side of the booth first so that I was next to the wall and across from Alice. Edward slid in next to me so that he was across from Jasper.

"So how have you been?" Alice asked me.

"Great. I had a really great break but I'm kind of glad to be back in school. I was getting really bored."

"Ugh! I envy you. I've been so busy with work. I feel like I didn't even have a break!"

"Well you've been working so much I'm sure you've saved up a lot of money."

"Yeah, I guess." She said with a shrug. "What about you, Edward? How are you?"

"I'm good. I've been working a lot too." He answered.

"And what about that adorable little girl of yours?"

"She's wonderful." Edward said, his face breaking into the smile it always did when he talked about Chelsea. "She's growing like a weed, unfortunately for me. I wish she would stay four years old forever."

"Seriously…" Jasper agreed. "She's got such a strong personality now I hate to see what she'll be like as a teenager."

"Thanks. That's great to hear, Jazz." Edward said although he was laughing.

"Oh, come on. You know she's spoiled rotten." Jasper answered.

"She is. I do have to admit that." Edward responded, laughing and nodding.

"That's what happens when you're an only child." Jasper said, shaking his head.

"Hey, I'm an only child!" I said defensively. "And I wasn't spoiled rotten, just lonely."

"Exactly" Edward said as he looked over his menu. "But either way, she's not going to be an only child. Hopefully she'll have a couple brothers or sisters by the time she's a teenager." He added nonchalantly, not even bothering to take his eyes off of his menu as he spoke.

I glanced over at Alice who raised her eyebrows at me. I just shrugged and looked down at my menu. I didn't find anything weird about what he said. We both knew that we both wanted a family. She looked away from me and turned to Jasper.

"I'm an only child, too. Do you think I'm spoiled?"

"Of course not, sugar." He said, smiling as he leaned in to kiss her nose.

"Good answer." She said, giggling.

As they continued chatting amongst themselves, Edward turned to kiss my head and then mutter in my ear.

"Do you mind of a drink?"

"Nope" I said, shaking my head.

It had become a pattern that every time we went out and Edward wanted to drink, he would ask my permission. I didn't know if it was him trying to be a gentleman or if he just felt weird drinking when I couldn't, but it seemed silly to me that he felt the need to ask. It's not like I was going to tell him he couldn't.

"So, Bella," Alice said, turning to me with a big smile. "Somebody has a birthday coming up soon."

"Oh, really?" I asked, looking back down at my menu. "Who could that be?"

"Somebody who's going to be entering their last year as a teenager!"

I bit my lip and felt myself blush. Literally every single one of my friends was older than me and I didn't like it when they brought up how young I was, especially around Edward. I had this irrational paranoia that he would suddenly remember that he thought I was too young for him.

"What's wrong?" Alice asked, sounding sad.

"Nothing" I said, looking back up at her and shaking my head.

"So how are we going to celebrate, then?"

"I don't know. What do you think we should do? You're the one who's the master of birthdays."

"Right you are, Bella. We should definitely have a party."

"Where? I've been to Rose's parties in our little apartment, they're pretty claustrophobic."

"You can have it at my house." Edward offered quickly.

"Perfect!" Alice squealed. "And I'll plan it of course."

"Whatever. Just as long as I don't have to do anything" I answered.

"You just show up and look hot." Alice told me.

"Not too hot if there's gonna be other guys there." Edward said playfully, squeezing my thigh lightly.

Our waiter came over a moment later and introduced himself before asking for my and Edward's drink orders. I asked for water and then Edward ordered a Jack and Coke. We all knew what we wanted to eat as well, so we also ordered our meals while he was there.

"So what's up with Rosalie?" Alice asked me. "Jasper told me what happened but I haven't heard from her. Is she okay?"

I felt Edward stiffen a little next to me and figured the subject of James still made him tense.

"Yeah, she's fine. Her eye is already almost healed." I answered.

"I hope she stopped talking to that douche bag." Jasper huffed.

"Apparently she has. She told me that he's tried calling and texting her but she hasn't answered anything. She says if he doesn't stop she's going to call the phone company and get his number blocked."

"Good. She should." Alice said. "I can't believe she got involved with him again."

"Me neither." I agreed.

"And the sad part is that there are so many good guys who would love to go out with her. But she never goes on dates. She turns down every decent guy for scum like James. I just don't get it. I mean, you're friend for example." She said, turning to Jasper. "He wanted to take her out and she shot him down faster than lightening. If she had just given him a chance she could be here with him now with all of us."

"I don't know what her deal is." Jasper answered. "But Emmett should give it up. That chick's too crazy for him."

I glanced over at Edward who was looking down at the table and tracing the pattern of one of the tiles with his finger, looking totally removed from the conversation. I wondered why he was being so quiet all of the sudden. I guess he didn't want to think about that night with Rosalie and James again.

I put my hand over his that was on my thigh and rubbed back and forth over his skin with my thumb. He looked up and over at me and smiled.

"So," Alice started a moment later. "There's a new club opening tonight on Tuttle Street. Do you guys wanna go?"

I only had to think about it for a moment before I decided tonight wasn't a good night to go out to the club. I knew that Edward had a stressful night at work and he had hardly slept at all that day. I was pretty positive that he didn't want to go. And to be honest, I didn't really want to go either.

"I don't think so, not tonight. I've got an early class in the morning." I said, which was actually true.

"Well you're no fun…" She pouted. "What about next weekend?"

"Yeah, maybe" I said, not wanting to commit to anything.

"I'm gonna hit the bathroom before our food gets here." Edward said as he got up out of the booth.

"Now that you mention, I kind of have to go too." Jasper said as he stood up as well.

Alice and I both started laughing at the same time. Edward and Jasper turned to look at us, confused.

"You guys are such girls." Alice said through her giggles. "Going to the bathroom together…"

Jasper rolled his eyes and then he and Edward both walked off. As soon as they were out of sight I slapped both of my hands down on the table, making Alice jump, and leaned towards her.

"Edward told me he loves me." I whispered as if I were afraid he would hear or something.

"Get out! Did he really?"

"Yes!" I squealed excitedly.

"Oh my God, tell me everything."

"Well we were in the shower just standing there kissing and talking and then he got all nervous looking and it was so adorable. He said it and then said he knew a few days before but didn't tell me because he was nervous. And he said that he knew it was really soon, but that he just knew it was right. And that he couldn't stop thinking about me. I can't even describe how perfect it was…just the way he said it and the way he looked and how nervous he was…" My sentence trailed off in a content sigh.

"Did you say it back?"

"Of course I did!"

"That is _so_ exciting. I think I love Jasper, but he hasn't said it yet."

"I love Edward so much it's almost scary. It's like my heart isn't even big enough to hold my feelings for him."

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"You could go out with Alice to that club if you want to." Edward said as he drove back to my apartment. "I hope you didn't say no on my account."

"Not at all. I really didn't even want to go."

"Okay."

"I was actually thinking that maybe we could just hang out at my apartment for a little while. I mean, it's still kind of early."

"Yeah, we can do that."

"Good." I said happily.

"How was your first day of classes?"

"It was good, but boring. We did the same thing in every class."

"Go over the syllabus and listen to you teacher try to tell you their class is the hardest you'll ever take?"

"Yup"

"Man I do not miss college."

"I don't blame you. You're so lucky that you don't have to go."

"Hey, I did my time."

"I know, I know. School is just so _not_ my thing. I'm not the brainy doctor type like you."

"Are you calling me a nerd?" He asked, feigning offense.

"No, I'm just saying that it doesn't come easily to me at all."

"Is there something in particular you struggle with?"

"Well I'm really good with history and English, but I suck at math and science…especially math."

"Well you know that if you ever need help you can ask me."

"Yeah, I know. But you're busy enough as it is."

"I'm never too busy for you."

It literally was starting to rain just as we were pulling into my apartment complex. We both groaned as the raindrops started beating down on the car. From the loud sound I could tell that the drops were big and heavy.

"Shit…" Edward mumbled. "The parking lot is almost full. I'm gonna have to park far away."

"Great…" I huffed.

"I'll drop you off in front of your door."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, there's no sense in both of us getting wet."

"Okay. Well, thanks."

"No problem."

He pulled up to the curb in front of the staircase to my door, as close as he could get. I hopped out, flung the door shut behind me, and made a dash for the stairs. The staircase was under cover so once I got there I was safe from the rain. Since Edward had dropped me off so close, I stayed relatively dry.

I was freezing when I got inside from the cold rain and the wind, so the first thing I did was go to the thermostat and turn the heat up. I then hurried into my bedroom to change into some sweatpants and a hoodie. I stripped out of the nice clothes I had worn to dinner and then took off my bra too just so I would be more comfortable. I heard the front door open and shut and then as I was pulling on my pants, a drenched Edward appeared in my room. I tried not to laugh at seeing hip sopping wet, but I couldn't help it. He looked funny with his hair matted down to his face.

"Oh you think this is funny?" He asked, trying not to laugh himself.

"Yes."

"I can't believe you have the nerve…" He said as he walked towards me slowly. "To laugh at me after I was nice enough to drop you off at the door."

He then reached out and roughly grabbed me, pulling my body up against his. Since I was completely topless and he was soaking wet, I was immediately shivering.

"Edward!" I screeched, trying to squirm out of his arms as we both laughed.

I was able to pull my upper body a little bit away from him by pushing against his shoulders, but his arms around my waist kept my lower body pressed firmly against his.

"Mm…looks like I got those perfect little nipples all cold and hard. I guess it's my responsibility to warm them up."

Suddenly I wasn't feeling so cold anymore.

He picked me up, walked over towards my bed, and threw me down on it so I landed on my back. Before I could even think about trying to move, he crawled on top of me, pinned me down, and took one of my hard nipples into his mouth. The heat of his mouth felt incredible against my cold skin. He sucked so hard it was on the border of painful, but still on the side of wonderfully pleasurable.

"Baby…" I half moaned, half whimpered as I fisted my hand in his hair.

He continued his pleasurable assault on that nipple for a few moments before moving to the other nipple and doing the same thing. When he was done there, he moved to the valley between my breasts and kissed a trail up my chest and neck until his face was right above mine.

"Is that better?" He asked with a cocky smirk.

"Yes." I said breathlessly.

"Good. Glad I could help."

"Take your clothes off."

"Mm…I like your eagerness." He said, still wearing that damn panty-ruining smirk.

I rolled my eyes and pushed him off of me so I could get up.

"Take off your clothes so I can put them in the dryer. You're still soaking wet."

"Oh."

While Edward stood up and started taking his clothes off, I went into my closet and put my hoodie on. When I came back out, he had stripped down to his boxers. I went and took his pile of wet clothes, told him I would be right back, and then left my room to go put them in the dryer. When I went back into my room I found him in my bed and under my covers.

"I love how much your sheets smell like you." He said.

"Thanks. Maybe now they'll smell like _you_. Then I'll sleep well tonight."

"Remember what you said about us having 'us time' in bed?"

"Yeah, I remember."

He lifted up the covers on the side of the bed closest to me and raised his eyebrows. I smiled and went to get in bed with him. He pulled the blankets back down around me and turned on his side to face me. I snuggled up to him until our bodies were flush against each other. I lifted my top arm up around his neck and hooked my leg up over his waist.

"Does somebody want some us time?" I asked, smiling as I played with the hair at the back of his neck.

He simply closed his eyes and nodded. I'm not sure how long exactly we lay there in silence, but it was a while. His eyes remained closed but mine stayed open, watching him intently as I kept playing with his hair. His face looked totally peaceful and after a few minutes his breathing seemed slower and steadier. I wanted to leave him alone and continue watching him, but I couldn't let him fall asleep here. Besides, I didn't know what time he told the babysitter he would be home.

"Are you sleeping?" I whispered.

He shook his head and took a deep breath.

"No. Just relaxing."

"Okay. Just checking."

"I still want to meet your Dad."

I sighed and stayed quiet for a moment, continuing to toy with his hair.

"You do?"

"Yeah, I do. When can we do that?"

"Do we have to?" I groaned, imagining the icy glares my overprotective father would give him.

"No, we don't have to." He said, eyes still closed. "Obviously you don't have to introduce me to him if you don't want to."

"No, no, I want to. I didn't mean it like that. He wants to meet you too. I just don't want it to be awkward."

"It won't be. I make good first impressions." He said, smiling a little.

"I think you already made a first impression just by being so much older than me."

"True." He said, his smile turning into a frown. "And by getting arrested. But that's just another reason I want to meet him. I want to pay him back."

"Okay…well, I guess whenever you get some free time. You're the busy one."

"How about next Sunday? I'm off work. We can make a day trip to Forks."

"Oh…" I said, not expecting it to be so soon. "Okay."

"Does that sound like a plan?" he asked, still not opening his eyes.

"Yeah, I guess."

"Good. Now kiss me."

I smiled and leaned in to lightly touch my lips to his. To my surprise, he lifted his hand to the back of my neck and pushed his tongue into my mouth. As our tongues started dancing, he lowered his hand to my ass and pulled me tighter against him. I tightened my leg around his waist in response.

We made out for about forty five minutes before he decided it was time for him to leave. That's just one of the numerous things I loved about Edward. Even though we were sexually active as a couple, we could still enjoy a simple good old fashioned make out session from time to time.

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**A/N:**

**For all of you who keep guessing what's going to happen in the plot: I appreciate your enthusiasm but I can't tell you if you're right or wrong. You just have to keep reading.**

**Sometimes you guys ask me the relevance of things and just for the record, everything I put in the story has relevance. It may not be clear right away, but I don't put things in the story for no reason. With that being said, this is not the last we will see of Nathan and his mom. **

**I already have something planned else planned for next chapter, so I think the Charlie visit will be the one after that. **

**I spoil you bitches rotten, so REVIEW ME! Review and tell me your favorite part. Honestly, each and every review means SO much to me. For those of you who review every chapter, I know all of you by your pen names and I recognize them every time you review. NOBODY goes unnoticed.**

**And go twitter me something sweet :) (at) JennaRayFF**

**Jenna **


	25. New Friendships

**I own nothing.**

**Let me calm some nerves before you get started on this chapter. Just because Lauren is named Lauren does not mean she is bad news, okay? I promise she is NOT here to cause trouble. So calm down my anxious and concerned loved ones :)**

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**EPOV**

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I woke up the day after my and Bella's double date with Jasper and Alice to the sound of humming. At first I thought that I was imagining things in my sleep, but as I started to regain more and more consciousness I realized that someone was definitely humming right in front of my face. I smiled when I noticed that there was also I tiny hand resting on my cheek. That could only mean one thing…my little girl had climbed into my bed this morning.

I was lying on my stomach with my head on my pillow and turned to one side. My eyelids fluttered open to find my green eyes staring back at me, except it wasn't my face. It was Chelsea's beautiful face. Her head was also on my pillow, facing me and literally about two inches from my own face.

"Hi, Daddy" She whispered.

"Hi, princess" I said with a raspy voice from sleep. "What are you doing in here?"

"I woke up and wanted to see if Bella was here."

I sighed as I lifted my hand to brush some hair out of her face. I wished that Bella had been there for her to find in my bed.

"Sorry, sweetie. No Bella, just your boring old Dad."

"Can we go to the park today?"

"No, we can't go to the park today."

"Why not?"

"One, it's too cold. Two, I already have something else planned for us to do today."

"What are we going to do?"

I took her tiny little hand from my cheek and kissed it.

"Do you remember when Uncle Jasper was really sick and he had to stay in the hospital for a really long time?"

That august Jasper had gotten pneumonia. He was in the hospital for a long time and since he didn't really have any family, Chelsea and I would go visit him every day.

"Uh-huh"

"And do you remember how we would go visit him a lot and take him things to make him feel better?"

"Uh-huh" She said again.

"Well I met a little boy at work who is very sick. And he's in the hospital kind of like Uncle Jasper was. And this little boy only has his mommy to go visit him. He's very nice and he's very brave for trying so hard to get better. So you and I are going to go visit him today and take him a present."

As I spoke I turned her hand over in mine and started absentmindedly tracing the lines on her palm. I hadn't been able to sleep well the night before, even though I was exhausted. I don't know why Nathan had affected me so much, but he did. You would think I would be used to sad stories like his from working in the medical field, but there was something about him that had really captured my heart…and wouldn't let go. I couldn't stop thinking about him and his poor mother. So I had lay awake in bed most of the night thinking of how devastated I would be in Lauren's position and how desperate I would be to do whatever I could to help my child get better.

There was more than one reason that I had decided to go visit him at the children's hospital. One, I knew that he didn't have any family. He and his mother were probably going crazy cooped up in that hospital room by themselves. Surely they would appreciate a visitor. Secondly, it would be a good experience for Chelsea. I wanted her to know that there are people in the world less fortunate than her and that not only should she be grateful for her life, but she should think about how she can reach out to those people. I wanted her to grow up and have a big heart. I wanted her to want to help people like Nathan that she came across in life.

So, not only would I be taking her to visit Nathan, but I was going to take her to the toy store first and have her pick out a present for him.

"Is he sick with what Uncle Jasper was sick with?"

"No, he has a different kind of sickness. But it's even worse than what Uncle Jasper had."

"Are we going to the same place Uncle Jasper was?"

"No, we're going somewhere that is just for kids. It's a children's hospital."

"What are we going to take him?"

"Well, we're going to go to the toy store first to pick something out for him. But since he's sick, he won't really be able to play with many toys I don't think. So we'll get him a stuffed animal or something. But I'm going to let you pick it out."

"Do I get to pick out a toy for me too?"

"Not this time. We're going to the toy store today just for this little boy."

I wasn't going to let her get a toy because I wanted her to realize that this trip was about someone else.

She smiled her gorgeous smile and squirmed around on the bed a little like little kids do.

"I'm going to pick out a good one for him."

"Good. I think he will be very happy that we came to see him. So let's have some breakfast and then get ready to go."

I made her some frozen waffles for breakfast, which she complained weren't as good as Bella's homemade waffles, and just ate a granola bar myself because I felt a little nauseous from my restless night.

When I grabbed my cell phone off the kitchen counter and looked at it for the first time that morning, I saw that I had a text from Bella.

"_Guess what? It's supposed to SNOW tonight!"_

I smiled, imagining how cute she would be saying that to me in person, and decided to call her.

"Hello, handsome." She answered after the third ring.

"Morning" I said through a yawn. "Is it really supposed to snow tonight?"

"Yup, it sure is."

"Well that's exciting."

"It is, but I'm really bummed that you're working tonight. I wish we could enjoy it together."

"Yeah me too, babe" I answered as I fumbled around trying to make some coffee.

"Oh well. Next time I guess."

"Definitely"

"You sound tired. Did you just wake up?"

"Yeah, and I didn't sleep too well."

"Why not? I thought you were exhausted last night."

"I was, but I guess I just had a lot on my mine."

"I'm sorry. If it makes you feel any better…I sort of had a restless night too."

"Why? You didn't sleep well?"

"Well, I fell asleep just fine…"

Her sentence trailed off in a suggestive sounding way but I didn't see what she was getting at.

"Okay…" I said, urging her to continue.

"But I woke up at three in the morning and I was so horny…I wanted you so bad."

I felt my eyes widen a little in surprise. I licked my bottom lip and then glanced over at Chelsea who was still sitting at the table eating.

"I, uh…wish I could have been there to help you out with that."

"Me too. It was so hard to fall back asleep when all I could think about was your dick…"

I was starting to learn that my Bella was full of surprises. One minute she could be my sweet, timid girl and now she was on the phone telling me she couldn't stop thinking about my dick the night before.

"Well maybe you should start spending the night more often so I can be there to take care of those kinds of…_situations_ for you."

"Are you in front of Chelsea?" She asked, probably picking up on how I was answering her questions in a vague way.

"Yeah"

"That's okay. We shouldn't talk about it, anyway. I'm just gonna get worked up again."

I swallowed hard and ran a hand through my hair. Just the thought of Bella being horny was getting _me_ worked up. I needed to change the subject.

"I'm taking Chelsea to go visit that little boy with leukemia today."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna take her to the toy store to get him a stuffed animal or something and then take her to the children's hospital to see him."

"Well that's sweet. I'm sure him and his mom will both appreciate that."

"Do you want to go with us?"

"I would like to, and I really do mean that. But I'm about to leave to go be held up in the library all day with some people from my sociology class for a group project."

"That's too bad. I was hoping to see you today."

"I'm sorry."

"No, don't be. You know how supportive I am of you putting school first."

"Yeah, I know."

"Well, I'll give you a call sometime later today. Maybe if you're done at the library I can swing by your place to see you before work."

"Okay. I'll text you when I'm done."

"Alright, sounds good."

"I was going to say have fun visiting that little boy, but I don't think fun is the right word."

"No, I don't think so. But hopefully it will brighten his day."

"I'm sure it will. It's really sweet that you're going."

"It's just another part of my breathtakingly perfect personality." I said, smirking as I waited for my now brewing coffee.

"Indeed it is. I've got to get going but I'll text you, okay?"

"Okay. Good look with your project."

"Thanks. I love you."

"I love you too."

After my conversation with Bella I put Chelsea in the living room to watch T.V. while I showered. As I stood under the hot water and soaped up my arms and chest, I couldn't stop my mind from wondering. I couldn't help but envision my beautiful girl waking up and wanting me. I loved the thought of her spontaneously being horny for specifically me. I loved the idea that just thinking about me could get her all hot and bothered. I loved that she wanted me so bad she couldn't even go back to sleep.

_The soft whimper and the pout she would make when she woke up and realized I wasn't there…_

_The way she would bite her lip, wishing that I _was_ there…_

_And if I _had_ been there…_

By that time I officially had a hard on that wasn't going to go away on its own without a very uncomfortable case of blue balls. So, I was going to have to resort back to basics.

I was going to have to rub one out.

I sighed and lowered my hand to grip my erection firmly. I closed my eyes and let my imagination run free as I started pumping my hand steadily up and down over my shaft. I started with simply picturing Bella's naked body in all its perfection.

_Her firm, perky breasts…_

_Her flat, tight stomach…_

_Her full, pink lips…_

I started stroking myself a little faster and gripping myself a little more firmly. I put my forearm up against the tile wall of the shower and leaned forward, letting my forehead rest against it. I swallowed hard and next started to imagine the different ways that Bella's body reacted to me.

_The way her nipples hardened when I brushed my thumb over them…_

_The way she started breathing unevenly when I kissed her neck…_

_The whimpering sound she made when I first entered her…_

My breathing was starting to become slightly unsteady as I worked myself faster. I wasn't taking my time and trying to enjoy myself. I just wanted to find release as soon as possible. I wasn't going to even try to make the orgasm worthwhile. I knew that it would be nothing compared to the pleasure my baby girl could bring me. I took a deep breath and next started to imagine the way that her body felt.

_Her soft, supple skin…_

_The feeling of her nails digging into my back, trying to pull me impossibly closer…_

_The way that the walls of her tight pussy s squeezed my cock…_

The combination of thinking about the way her tight pussy felt and the fastness of the pace of my hand was enough to help me find my release. In three long spurts, my come spilled out over my hand and then was washed away by the spray of the showerhead. As I suspected, it was nothing compared to the way Bella could make me feel. But it would do for now.

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The stuffed Tiger that Chelsea picked out for Nathan was massive, but she insisted on carrying it into the hospital by herself. I was proud of her for not badgering me to also buy her something at the toy store. She actually seemed excited to be doing something nice for somebody else in need. My little girl had a big heart already, even at her young age.

I held Chelsea's hand as I led her to the front desk upon entering the hospital. I was thankful that Lauren had told me her last name. That would make finding Nathan a lot easier.

"Can I help you?" The nurse asked as I approached.

"Yeah, I'm here to visit a patient. I just need to know what room he is in."

"Certainly. What's the name?"

"Nathan Mallory."

She typed something into the computer and looked over the screen for a moment before answering me.

"Okay. Nathan is in room 24C. That's going to be on the second floor. Take these elevators." She said, pointing to a set of elevators to the right. "And then turn left and it will be in that hallway." She finished with a polite smile.

"Okay. Thank you very much. Have a nice day."

"Glad to help. You have a nice day, too."

"Come on, sweet pea." I said to Chelsea as I started walking towards the elevators.

Chelsea giggled the whole we up on the elevator, saying that it made her tummy tickle. The sound of my daughter laughing never failed to bring a smile to my face. When the elevator door opened, we went left as the nurse told me to. I walked down the hall slowly, looking at all of the room numbers, until I found 24C. The door was cracked but it was closed most of the way.

I knocked gently, not wanting to wake Nathan if he was sleeping. A moment later, Lauren appeared. She opened the door just wide enough to peak through the crack. When she saw me, her face shifted into a look of surprise. She opened the door wider then and stepped out, closing it behind her.

"Um…hi…" She said, looking confused. She was probably wondering what I was doing there.

"Hey, how are you?"

As soon as I asked her how she was I felt stupid. Her son was in the hospital fighting leukemia. Of course she wasn't doing well. I don't know why it felt awkward between us, but it did.

"Uh, I'm okay. I don't want to sound rude or anything, but what are you doing here?"

"Well, I woke up this morning and felt like coming to see Nathan. Is that alright?"

"Yeah, of course" She answered quickly. "I'm sorry. I'm just surprised to see you. How did you even know what room to come to?"

"Well you told me your last name yesterday. So I just assumed that his was the same…"

"Oh! Right, yeah I totally forgot that I told you."

I felt Chelsea's arm wrap around my leg, reminding me that she was there.

"Oh, um, this is my daughter." I said, gesturing down to her.

She had the stuffed tiger in one arm and had her other arm wrapped around my leg, clinging to it like she did when she was being shy. Lauren smiled down at her warmly and then bent down to her level.

"Hi, sweetie. What is your name?" Lauren asked.

Chelsea looked up at me and smiled shyly before hiding her face against my leg. I laughed and bent down to her level as well. She moved her arm up around my neck and rested her head against my shoulder.

"Don't be shy, sweetie. This is Lauren. She's very nice. She's the mommy of that little boy I was telling you about."

Chelsea lifted her head from my shoulder and finally spoke, but inched closer to me as she did.

"Hi." She said softly.

"Can you tell Lauren your name?" I asked her. "It's not nice to not answer somebody when they ask you a question."

"Chelsea" She said, grabbing my shirt in her little fist.

Lauren smiled at her again.

"What a pretty name for a pretty girl."

Chelsea smiled and released my shirt.

"Thank you. You have pretty hair." She said quietly.

Lauren laughed and absentmindedly touched her hair.

"Thank you. It's almost the same color as yours."

Her hair was blonde like Chelsea's, but it was a bit brighter. Chelsea's was more golden. I did have to admit that Lauren looked a lot better than she had when I saw her at the hospital the day before. Her hair was much tamer. It was brushed smooth and hung down straight to her shoulders. Although she was in sweats again, she actually had make up on. I couldn't blame her for the comfortable wardrobe. I wouldn't give a shit what I looked like if I were in her position. She was a very pretty woman regardless, but it was a big possibility that I wasn't giving her enough credit. I simply didn't have eyes for anyone other than Bella.

"We brought this for Nathan." I said, gesturing to the tiger in Chelsea's arms as Lauren and I both stood back up. "But we can just leave it with you if he's not up for visitors right now."

I figured he might not be since she had come out of the room instead of letting us in.

"No, no, I'm sure he would love a visitor. He got sick literally right after we moved here, so we don't really know anybody. He doesn't get very many visitors. Come on in." She said, opening the door.

Chelsea and I followed her into the room where Nathan was laying in the hospital bed. He had a bunch of blankets over him and was watching the small T.V. that hung in the corner of the room. He looked tired. As we entered the room he looked over at me curiously.

"Hey, baby." Lauren said to him softly. "Do you remember Dr. Cullen from yesterday?"

He looked over at Lauren and nodded.

"You both can call me Edward." I said quickly.

I didn't want Nathan or Lauren looking at me as another doctor. They spent every day surrounded by doctors and I didn't want them to think of me like that. I just wanted to be a friend to them…a normal person.

"Hi, Edward" Nathan said.

"Hey, buddy. Do you remember me?"

"Yeah, I remember you."

I bent down, picked up Chelsea, and swung her up onto my hip. I wanted her to be up a high enough so that she and Nathan could see each other without the side of the bed in the way.

"This is my daughter, Chelsea. Chelsea, this is Nathan. This is the little boy that I met yesterday."

"Hi" Chelsea said with a big smile. I was glad that she seemed much less shy with him than she was with Lauren.

"Hi" Nathan responded, giving her a weak smile.

"We brought you this." Chelsea said, holding up the stuffed tiger.

Nathan looked up at the tiger and his smile widened. I carried Chelsea over closer to the bed so that she could lean over and hand it to him.

"What do you say, Nate?" Lauren asked.

"Thank you." He said as he took the tiger and pulled it into his side.

"You're welcome." I told him. "I didn't get to talk to you very much yesterday, so I wanted to come by and see you. Do you think Chelsea and I can sit and talk to you for a little while?"

"Okay." He said, turning slightly in the bed to face us.

I put Chelsea down and went to sit in one of the chairs in the room, but then my phone starting ringing. I pulled it out of my pocket and saw that it was one of the other doctors from the hospital. I always took calls from work.

"I uh…I need to take this. I'll just be a minute." I said to Lauren.

"Yeah, of course. Go ahead."

I glanced over at Chelsea, wondering if I should take her out of the room with me.

"She can stay in here with us." Lauren said, answering my unspoken question.

"Thank you." I said as I pressed the answer button on my phone and left the room. "Hello?" I answered.

"Hey, Cullen. It's Mark Cole." My colleague answered.

"Hey, what can I do for you?" I asked.

"Well, I'm actually calling to see if I can switch you some days at the hospital. My wife's mother passed away last night and the funeral is going to be this Wednesday out of town."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Mark. What days did you need to switch around?"

"Well, Kate told me that you're scheduled tonight and tomorrow and you have off Tuesday and Wednesday."

"Yeah, that's right."

"Well I can cover for you tonight and tomorrow if you can fill in for me Tuesday and Wednesday. I know it's really short notice, but I'm kind of in a bind."

I didn't have a problem switching with Mark. He needed to go out of town for a funeral, and it wouldn't be too difficult for me to rearrange a babysitter for Chelsea."

"Uh, yeah, that's fine. I can do that."

"Are you sure? I don't want to majorly inconvenience you or anything."

"No, it's fine. Don't worry about it. It's not an inconvenience."

"Okay, great. I really appreciate it. I owe you."

"Don't worry about it. I'm glad I can help."

"Well I'll go in tonight, then. And I'll see you when I get back in town."

"Sounds good. Talk to you later."

"Alright, thanks man."

I hung up the phone and went to go back in to Nathan's room, but as I went to open the door Lauren beat me to it and came out. We almost ran into each other so we laughed and did that awkward side step thing.

"Um, the nurse is in there with the kids. She's taking Nathan's vitals." She said. "I just wanted to come out here and get you alone for a minute so I could thank you for coming. It's really sweet of you to take the time out of your day."

"There is absolutely no need to thank me. I'm glad to be able to come visit him. I know I haven't spent much time around him, but he seems like a sweet kid."

"He is. And your daughter is adorable, by the way."

"Thanks." I said, smiling.

"She looks a lot like you. Well, except for the hair. I'm assuming she gets that from her mother."

"Yeah, she does."

"Her mother must be disappointed that she looks just like you. I think every parent wants their child to resemble them."

"Oh, uh, her mother isn't around."

"Oh, I'm sorry." She said, sounding worried that she had brought up a sore subject. "I didn't know."

"Oh, it's fine."

"I just assumed she was in the picture. It's not very often that you meet single fathers. Usually the men are the ones to up and leave."

"Well, not all mean are like that. I can't imagine not being around for my daughter."

"How long has her mother been gone? I mean, if you don't mind me asking."

"Well, she stuck around for the first year. Then she just decided she didn't want to be a mom. I don't think she ever wanted to be a mother. Chelsea wasn't planned. We weren't married or anything."

"Oh my goodness, that's horrible. I can't imagine having the audacity to leave my child like that just because they're not convenient."

"Yeah, it's sad. But we're better off without her."

"Well good for you for having such a good outlook on the situation. It's not easy to be a single parent."

"No, it's not."

"Well, I just wanted to come out here and thank you. So, thanks for being so considerate of Nathan. I really appreciate you coming."

"Like I said, you don't have to thank me. And I actually wanted a minute alone with you too." I said, remembering another reason that I had wanted to come today.

"Oh, okay." She said, sounding curious.

"So uh, since the moment I found out the Nathan has leukemia I haven't been able to stop thinking about him. I just keep thinking about how I couldn't handle being in your position and how no one, especially not a child, deserves to go through what your son is going through. Last night I was lying in bed having trouble sleeping and then something that I wanted to do hit me square on. I should have thought of it from the first second I found out about Nathan."

"Okay…" She responded slowly, sounding confused.

"I want to get tested to see if I'm a bone marrow match for your son."

Her eyes widened just slightly and she stayed quiet for a long moment.

"You do?"

"Absolutely. There is no reason for me not to. I would be thrilled at the possibility of being able to help him."

So suddenly that I couldn't even register her movement, Lauren had thrown her arms around my neck in a huge hug. I hesitated for a second since I didn't even know her, but then I wrapped my arms around her waist and hugged her back tightly. When she pulled away hey eyes were swimming in tears.

"I'm sorry." She said, lifting her hand to wipe a tear from the corner of her eye. "It's just…we don't really have any family or anything so we don't have many people to go and get tested specifically for Nathan. We've just been praying that a random donator will be a match and that we won't have to wait too long."

"Well I definitely want to get tested. If you give me the name of the doctor that you've been working with at the hospital, I'll go through him to see if I'm a match specifically for Nathan."

"Of course" She said, wiping at another tear. "I have his card in my purse. I'll give it to you right now." She said, turning back towards the door to the room.

"Okay, I've just got one more phone call to make and then I'll come back in. Is that alright?" I asked.

"Absolutely. Take your time."

"Okay, I'll just be a minute."

"Alright"

Lauren walked back into the room and then a moment later the nurse came out, closing the door behind her. She gave me a warm smile and then headed down the hallway. I took my phone back out and pressed the number on my speed dial assigned to Bella. She didn't answer until the fourth ring so I was kind of expecting to get her voicemail.

"Hold on a second." She whispered.

"Okay." I answered.

"Alright, I'm here. What's up?" She said a moment later at a normal volume.

"Why were you whispering?"

"Because I'm at the library, remember? I had to come outside to talk."

"Oh, sorry, I forgot. I didn't mean to disturb you."

"It's fine. What's up? Did you go visit that little boy?"

"Yeah, we're here right now. But I Just wanted to call you because I just got some exciting news."

"What's that?"

"I don't have to work tonight."

"What? Why not?"

"One of the other doctors called and asked to switch with me. He had to go out of town last minute so he switched me today and tomorrow for a couple days later this week."

"Well, that's great. Does this mean I get to see you, then?"

"If you want to"

"I always want to see you."

"Would it make me a bad person if I neglected to tell my mom that I don't have to go in tonight? That way she would still take Chelsea…and we could be alone all night."

"Hmm…" She said, laughing a little. "I think I'll leave that one up to you."

"You wouldn't look down on me?"

"Not at all"

"I wouldn't _technically_ be lying to her. I would just be withholding information."

"Well okay then."

"So will you come over and spend the night with me?" I asked hopefully.

"If you want me to"

"Of course I do." I answered.

"Okay, then. How about I text you when my mom leaves with Chelsea?"

"Sounds good. Do you want me to make dinner?"

"Only if you want to. I don't want you to feel obligated."

She sighed and I was pretty certain she would also be rolling her eyes.

"You say that every time. I like cooking, especially for you."

"Well I need to go to the grocery store anyway so how about I'll let you know when my mom gets Chels and then I can come pick you up and we'll go grocery shopping and then back to my place."

"Alright, sure"

"Okay, good. I'll call you later on then."

"Okay. I'm excited to spend the night with you."

"Me too, babe. Just the two of us."

"Looking forward to it. I've got to get back inside. I'll talk to you later."

"Okay. I love you, Bella."

"I love you too."

When I got back into Nathan's hospital room, Chelsea was sitting in one of the chairs talking to Lauren who sat in the other. I went and picked Chelsea up and then took her seat and put her on my lap. We stayed there at the hospital longer than I thought we would. Time just flew by as we sat and talked to Nathan and Lauren. Nathan was such a sweet and full of life kid, you would never even know that he was sick if it weren't for his appearance. I was also pleased with how well Chelsea interacted with Nathan. She treated him like any other kid and they actually got a long really well together. They were adorable as they talked and got to know one another, making Lauren and I laugh. Just to top off the whole experience, Nathan loved his tiger, He cuddled with it the whole time we were there.

It didn't feel like we stayed that long but when Nathan started falling asleep and I told Chelsea it was time for us to go, it had already been about two hours. As we got up to leave the room, Nathan asked if we would come back to see him again. I promised we would, and had every intention of keeping that promise. Lauren gave me the card of the doctor that had tested her for bone marrow compatibility and then gave both Chelsea and I a hug. On the way home I told Chelsea how proud of her I was for being so sweet to Nathan.

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**BPOV**

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I fully intended to have sex with Edward on Friday night, just as we always did when I spend the night. I started to lose hope, however, when he couldn't stop yawning through dinner.

"Why are you pouting, baby?" Edward asked, rubbing his leg against mine under the table.

"I'm not pouting." I said, twirling some pasta around my fork.

"Yes you are. I know that face."

"What face?"

"The I'm-upset-about-something-but-I'm-not-going-to-say-anything face."

"I don't know what you're talking about." I said, smiling as I put my bite of pasta in my mouth.

"Come on, what's wrong?" He said, nudging my leg.

Damn it. He knew me too well.

"Nothing's wrong. I just…" I looked up at him and laughed. "This is going to sound stupid."

"Nothing you say sounds stupid. What is it?"

"I just really wanted get to have sex tonight." I said, rubbing his leg with mine like he had done to me.

He smiled and took a bite of his food before answering me.

"You really are insatiable aren't you?"

"For you, yes. No matter how often we have sex I don't think I'll ever have enough of you." I said honestly. "I want you all the time."

"Those damn teenage hormones." He said playfully.

"I guess." I said with a sigh before I took a sip of my water.

"So who says that you're not going to get to have sex with me tonight?"

"I don't know." I said with a shrug. "I just know that you're really tired. So I assumed you wouldn't want to."

"Well don't count your chickens before they hatch, baby girl." He said, waggling his eyebrows at me suggestively.

I laughed and took another bite.

"It's too bad you're too old to keep up with me sexually…" I said playfully.

"Yeah right" He said, narrowing his eyes at me.

"It's okay. You don't have to be ashamed. It's not your fault you're an old man."

"Older and wiser"

"Sure, sure"

"Hey, respect your elders."

"Glad you're embracing your age now. Speaking of which, maybe you and my dad will get along after all. You're both over the hill."

"Hey, I am not over the hill." He said, laughing. "Over the hill is like forty. I've still got ten years left before I'm over the hill."

"I have twenty two years left until I'm over the hill. Hah."

"You're crazy." He said, shaking his head and reaching across the table to ruffle my hair.

"Are you done?" I asked, gesturing to his now empty bowl.

"No, I was going to eat the dishes."

"Such a smartass" I said, laughing and shaking my head as I stood up and grabbed our bowls.

"Yeah but you love me."

"I do love you." I said, leaning over to give him a chaste kiss.

"Hey," He said, turning my face back to his and stopping me before I moved to go take our bowls to the sink. "Do you know how much I love you?"

I nodded and kissed his lips again, this time more slowly and softly than before.

"Just a little bit less than I love you." I whispered against his lips.

He shook his head and then moved to place a soft kiss on my neck.

"Leave the dishes. We can take care of them later."

"Okay, but at least let me move them to the sink."

"Fine"

As I carried our bowls over to the sink, Edward got up and started helping me.

"How was your visit with that little boy today?" I asked as we moved dishes from the table to the sink.

"It was really good. And his name is Nathan, by the way. I'm not sure if I told you that or not."

"Did Chelsea get along with him well?"

"Yeah, really well. They were cute together."

"Well that's good."

"I'm going to get tested to see if I'm a match to donate bone marrow to him."

I put down the dishes I was holding, which were the last of what was on the table, and went to wrap my arms around Edward's waist.

"That's awesome. I can tell this little boy is really special to you."

"He is." He said as he lifted both of his hands to smooth my hair away from my face. "I don't know why. I mean, I deal with sick kids every day. There's just something special about him. I don't know."

I smiled and rested my head against his chest. He put his hand on the back of my neck and kissed the top of my head.

"You're such an amazing man." I whispered.

"Let's go watch a movie and cuddle." He said before kissing my head again.

I lifted my head to kiss his lips.

"Let's do." I agreed.

When I dropped my arms from his waist, he bent down and wrapped his arms around mine. He picked me up and swung me over his shoulder, making me laugh. He turned around and walked out of the kitchen towards the living room. When he got to the couch he slapped my ass and then tossed me down on it.

"What do you want to watch?" He asked as he went over to the closet where all of his movies were.

"I don't care, you pick." I said as I sat up and watched him.

"Hmm…" He said, looking over his selection. "I can't decide, come help me."

"So high maintenance..." I said with a dramatic sigh as I went over to him. When I got next to him he took my hand and laced our fingers together. "Oh! How about _Cruel Intentions_? I love that movie."

"Alright" He said as he reached out and grabbed the movie.

"I'm surprised you even have that movie. That's totally a girl movie." I teased him.

"No it's not. You're crazy."

I squeezed his hand and then let it go and went to go sit on the couch again. He went and put the movie on and then grabbed a blanket and came over to the couch. He lay down across it, covering himself with the blanket, and put his head in my lap. He smiled up at me and then turned on his side so he could see the T.V. screen.

"Sure, sure, just use me as a pillow." I said jokingly.

"Okay, I will. Thanks."

He pressed play on the remote and then set it down on the floor. I draped my arm over him and started absentmindedly brushing my fingertips along his stomach. He took that hand and moved it up under his shirt, making me smile. As the movie started, I traced the defined muscles of his abs.

I did pay attention to the movie, but at the same time I couldn't stop touching him. While my one hand continued tracing his abdomen muscles, I moved my other hand to his head. With my fingernails, I lightly scratched his scalp. He sighed contently and then made a quiet humming sound.

"You know, you take care of me in ways you don't even realize." He said softly.

"What do you mean?"

"Just like right now…touching me and scratching my head. Your touch is just so soothing to me."

I smiled and rubbed my hand flat against his stomach.

"Good. I love touching you."

"I know you do. And I love that."

We watched the movie for a few more minutes in silence and after a while I moved my hand around from his stomach to scratch his back. It was then that I noticed that he felt really tense. I hadn't really noticed when I was touching his abs because he was so fit in that area that I couldn't differentiate his tenseness from muscles.

"You're really tense…" I commented to him as I started to massage his lower back with my one hand.

"Am I?"

"Yeah, are you stressed?"

"Not really." He said with a shrug. "I've just kind of had trouble relaxing. I haven't been sleeping well the past couple nights."

"I'm sorry. I hope you sleep better tonight."

"I will because you're with me. You relax me."

"Good."I said, smiling.

He sighed and then turned over onto his other side so that he was facing me and away from the T.V. He pushed my shirt up and placed two, slow open mouthed kisses on my stomach. My body reacted immediately. Goosebumps broke out all over my skin.

"If I asked you to do something for me sexually, would you think I was a pig?"

"No, of course not" I answered as I brushed my fingers through his hair. "You know how much I like making you feel good."

He nodded and placed another lingering kiss on my stomach.

"What do you want me to do, baby?" I whispered.

He hesitated a moment and kissed my stomach again before answering.

"I feel like an asshole for what about to ask you…"

His hesitation was making me really curious about what he wanted to ask.

"Edward, just ask. There's nothing you could say right now that could offend me or put me off. I want to be completely open with each other about what we want sexually, so just ask."

"Will you suck me off?" He asked quickly, as if he wanted to get it over with.

I had to laugh. From his hesitation and nervousness I was expecting him to ask me to ask for something that we had never done before that he thought I was going to be offended by or something.

"Oh, Edward…" I said through my laughter, stroking his hair again.

"Why are you laughing?"

"Nothing, that's just not what I was expecting you to say."

"I hope you know that you can say no and I won't be upset or anything. It's just that…you give amazing head. And that just sounds so good right now…"

I smiled and moved my hand to trace the features of his perfect face.

"Why would I say no? I love you. You know how much I love making you feel good.

"I know." He said, nodding.

"Do you think it's weird that I like being, for lack of a better word, subservient to you?"

"No, I think it's hot." He said, kissing my stomach again.

He sat up but kept his body turned so that he was in front of me and facing me.

"You do?" I asked, turning my head down to kiss his jaw.

"Mhmm…" He answered, rubbing his hand down my back.

"I don't know how to explain it. I just like taking care of you, however I can. And I like doing things for you. And I like…"

I let my sentence trail off before placing another kiss on his jaw. Now _I_ was the one feeling awkward and nervous.

"You like what?" He asked softly.

"You know how you were afraid you would sound like an asshole for asking me to give you head?"

"Yeah"

"Well I'm afraid I'm going to sound like a total freak for what I'm about to say."

"Just say it, baby. Like you said, we should be completely open with each other. Just tell me what you're feeling. I'm not going to judge you."

I pushed back on his shoulders until he was sitting next to me with his back against the back of the couch and then I climbed onto his lap, straddling him.

"Promise you won't judge? Because this is going to make me sound pretty crazy"

"I promise I won't judge."

"Okay, well…you know that at first I was apprehensive about our age difference. But now, to be honest, I think it's kind of sexy that you're so much older. And what I'm going to say kind of goes hand in hand with that I think."

"Okay."

I moved to rest my head on his shoulder so that I wouldn't have to look at him while I spoke. He rested one hand on my thigh while the other played with my hair.

"I like feeling like you're my man and that you have some sort of, like," I paused, searching for the right word. "Authority over me."

"Really?" He asked.

"Yeah…I don't know…maybe authority isn't the right word. I guess I just sort of view as the leader in our relationship. Kind of like how if we have a family someday then you would be the patriarch. That would make you the leader and the decision maker. And if I were your wife, then I would want to just be loyal and supportive of you in that position. So I sort of view our relationship the same way. Like you're the leader and I just want to be supportive of you. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"And I guess sometimes that comes out in the way I am with you sexually. I like doing things for you and pleasing you simply because you're my man."

"Do you think you feel that way because I'm so much older than you?"

I shrugged and started playing with the material of his shirt.

"I don't know, but I guess it doesn't matter. I like it, whatever the reason may be."

"Hmm"

"Does that weird you out?" I asked after a long moment.

"No, no, it doesn't weird me out. I think it's kind of sexy that you think of our relationship like that."

"You do?"

"Yeah"

"Good. I mean, it's not like I want to be all submissive and obedient to you or anything. I just like feeling like you're the strong one and you're kind of the one guiding our relationship."

"I like that. I mean, I want you to feel like my equal…because I'm not superior to you in any way. But I like that you view me as able to be strong for you and all that. I want to take care of you. And I guess because you are so much younger than me, I can offer a bit of guidance in our relationship."

"You do take care of me. And guidance is a good thing. I don't have nearly as much life experience as you and I kind of need that. I need to be taken care of."

He lifted my head from his shoulder and turned it so he could kiss me.

"I'll always take care of you. You're like my little Goddess."

I smiled and kissed him again.

"Mm…I love you, my big strong man." I said, rubbing my hands up and down the sides of his neck.

He smiled and rubbed his hands across my thighs.

"Who would have thought under all of those old man jokes you actually find my age sexy?"

"Shh…don't tell anybody…" I said with a smile as I leaned in for another kiss.

I gave Edward the blow job he had requested and I enjoyed every moment of it. I enjoyed watching him climax and knowing that I alone had brought him that much pleasure. Once he was finished, he went to go clean himself up in the guest bathroom while I took my bag and went to go get ready for bed in his bathroom. I was one happy camper as I did so, because he promised me we would have the sex I had been craving once we got to bed.

…So imagine my disappointment when I went back out into his bedroom to find him already sprawled out across his bed asleep.

I was disappointed, but I couldn't hold it against him. I knew that he hadn't been sleeping well and I knew that he was exhausted. I couldn't take it personally that he passed out before I got to bed. So with a sigh, I turned off all the lights and then slid into bed next to him and curled into his side. He shifted in his sleep to accommodate me as I curled up to his body, but he didn't wake up. And I didn't even think about waking him. I fell asleep pretty quickly, because I always did when I slept over at his house. The steady rhythm of his deep breathing and just the comforting thought of him being near me were enough to lull me into a deep, pleasant sleep.

I woke up before Edward the next morning, which was a very rare occurrence. He had his arm wrapped around my waist from behind and his face buried in the back of my neck. I carefully removed his arm from my waist and then sat up slowly, not wanting to wake him. I turned a little to face him and had to smile. He looked so relaxed and his face seemed completely peaceful. With each deep, steady breath of sleep his chest would rise and then fall slowly. He truly was a beautiful man.

I ended up just sitting there and watching Edward sleep for a few minutes before finally getting up. I used the bathroom and brushed my teeth and then ventured off into the kitchen to find some breakfast. I made myself some toast and then poured a glass of orange juice and took it into the living room to watch T.V. while I ate. I flipped through the channels as I munched on my breakfast, but nothing good was on. After about ten minutes I heard the toilet in Edward's bathroom flush and then a few moments later he appeared, walking through the hallway into the living room. His hair was wonderfully disheveled and his eyes looked a little unfocused with sleepiness.

"Hey" I said as he came over to the couch and sat down next to me. "Good morning."

"Hi." He mumbled as he took my plate of toast from my hand and sat it down on the coffee table.

At first I was confused. I didn't know why he had taken my toast away from me until he turned back towards me and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into his lap. I laughed and wrapped my arms around his neck as I placed a quick kiss on his cheek.

"Did you sleep okay?"

"Mhmm. I slept much better than I have been."

"Good."

"I'm sorry I fell asleep on you last night."

"It's okay." I said, combing both of my hands through his hair. "I know how tired you were. I'm just glad you were able to get some sleep."

"Well I fully intend on making it up to you." He said, leaning forward to kiss my lips.

I was expecting him to make out with me when he leaned in to kiss me, but he didn't. He placed three quick kisses on my lips and then started a trail from them down to my jaw, my neck, and then my collar bone. While his lips made their decent I closed my eyes and kept my hands on his head, probably with a stupid grin on my face. When his lips met my shirt and he couldn't go any lower, he didn't make any move to take it off. Instead, he flipped me around so that I was no longer on his lap but was sitting on the couch with my back against the back of it. He then shifted down so that he was on his knees on the ground in front of where I sat. I smiled and hummed in contentment as he pushed my shirt up and started kissing my stomach the same way he had the night before.

Lower and lower his lips traveled until they were at the waistline of my cotton shorts. Once he got there he hooked his thumbs in the top of them and started tugging them down my hips, pulling my panties along with them. When he had them off he put them down on the floor next to himself. He lifted one leg at a time and placed my feet against the coffee table so that my legs were outstretched on either side of where he knelt between them. His eyes darted up to meet mine and then his mouth dissolved into a knowing smile. He lifted his arms and then tugged his shirt up from the back and pulled it off of himself.

"Lift your bottom up." He whispered as he moved the short towards me.

I used my feet against the coffee table for leverage to push my bottom half up so that he could slide his shirt underneath my ass. I was thankful for his quick thinking because I was already ridiculously wet and I didn't need to be getting my love juice all over his couch.

Once the shirt was underneath me, I lowered my bottom back down and smiled at him. He returned my smile and then dropped his eyes back down to my love factory and moved his head forward. Just the sight of his head moving towards the cooch had every nerve ending in my body on alert mode. Unfortunately, right before his lips actually _reached_ the cooch; he turned his head to kiss my thigh instead. I whimpered in displeasure and he chuckled against my skin.

"Don't worry, my pretty girl. You know I'm gonna take care of you."

And take care of me he did.

After a few kisses up my thigh, he wrapped his lips around my clit and sucked like his fucking life depended on it. While Edward bonded with my love button, I put my hands on his head and tugged on his hair. Edward's tongue deserved a trophy, because that son of a bitch was definitely a winner. As his tongue flicked back and forth across my clit, it sent heat waves through my stomach and thighs.

"Yes…Edward…mm…" I sputtered off through my panting.

He took my clit into his mouth again and then pulled back, grazing his teeth across it. The sensations sent a jolt of electricity through me. As the moments went by Edward became more fervent in his sucking and nipping and I got closer and closer to my boiling point. The closer I got the more eager I was to find my release.

I started rolling my hips forward, pushing my center into his face. He moaned against me, creating a vibrating sensation against my clit. Then he did that amazing thing where he sucked my clit into his mouth and started moving his head from side to side, pulling my clit back and forth…and I went crazy.

"Ah! Oh…baby…I'm gonna come…" I told him as I pulled harder on his hair.

He moaned loudly against me and I started really panting. I was so close to coming. I was _right there_, but stuck lingering on the edge. As I looked down and watched Edward, I noticed that I wasn't the only one panting. He was breathing rapidly and had his eyes squeezed shut in concentration. I started pushing my hips harder towards him and I think he got the hint. He put his hands on my thighs and held me firmly towards his face as he started sucking harder and working his tongue against me faster.

"OH MY GOD!" Shrieked a voice that was so not mine.

I would know that horrible voice anywhere. That was the shrill shriek of the devil.

Esme.

So much happened in one moment it all seemed like a blur. My head whipped around to find Esme standing in the entry way to the living room with one hand over her mouth and the other over her heart. She looked horrified. I grabbed the blanket that was thankfully draped over the back of the couch and used it to cover myself.

"What the _fuck_, mom?" Edward said, sounding pissed as he stood up and wiped at his mouth.

"I…I…I…" Esme stuttered.

In any other situation I would have laughed at seeing Esme speechless, but there was nothing funny about that moment.

Esme abruptly turned and hurried out of the room, around the corner.

"No, no, Chelsea honey, don't go in there." I heard her saying hysterically. "We've got to go back outside. Grandma forgot something in the car."

I heard their footsteps walking away towards the front door so I quickly stood up and hurriedly pulled on my panties and my shorts.

"I can't even look at her, Edward. I am so humiliated. Just…just come get me when she leaves." I said frantically as I practically ran into Edward's bedroom, shutting the door behind me.

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**EPOV**

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After Bella ran off to my room, I went outside to find my mother. I was furious. I had told her last time she walked in unannounced that she needed to knock before she just barged in. There was no way I was going to apologize to her for what she saw. It was her own fault that she saw it. I was a grown man in a committed relationship in my own house. There was no reason for me to feel guilty because my mother didn't have the decency to inform me of her arrival.

I walked outside to see Chelsea standing next to my mother's car where she fumbled around in the trunk. I sighed, ran a hand through my hair, and walked over to them.

"Hey, princess." I said to Chelsea, not wanting her to catch on that something was wrong.

"Hi, Daddy!" She said, running over to hug my legs.

"Go ahead and head inside so I can talk to Grandma. Bella is in my room."

Her face lit up and the mention of Bella and then she ran off towards the front door.

"Edward, I am _appalled._" My mother said to me once Chelsea was gone.

"Excuse me?" I asked, taken aback.

"I did not raise you to engage in that sort of behavior."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean? I did nothing wrong just now, mother. I'm an adult in my own home. And what I chose to do with Bella sexually is none of your business."

"I can't even discuss this with you." She said, throwing her hands up in exasperation.

"Good, because it's not your place to discuss my relationship at all. But I will tell you one thing. If you barge into my house one more time unannounced I will not hesitate to change my locks."

"I told you I would be here at nine O'clock."

"I don't care. That still does not void the common courtesy of knocking."

"Fine, Edward. If you want me to act like a stranger when I come over, then that's what I'll do."

"No one is asking you to act like a stranger. I would just appreciate it if you would announce you're arrival."

She just stood there staring at me and shaking her head.

"You know what?" I said, getting really fed up with her. "Let's not even pretend that this is about what I was doing in there. You and I both know this is actually about _who _I was doing it _with._"

"You're right. It is." She said simply.

I groaned and pulled on my hair in frustration.

"You are completely shameless about your judgmental ways, aren't you? You don't even know Bella, mom. You're far too stuck up to want to know her."

"You're right. I am upset about _who_ you were in there with. Because she's a _child_, Edward. You were in there doing horrifying sexual things with a _child_. And you know what? I'm just going to say it. I'm just going to put it out there. She's beneath you, Edward. She is beneath your lifestyle and she is beneath your potential."

I swallowed hard and just looked at her for a minute. How dare she? How dare she say anything of that nature about Bella when she didn't even know her?

"Get off of my property, mother." I said, pointing towards the street.

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**A/N:**

**One, this is the longest chapter yet to be written of LHOP! It came in at a whopping 9930 words :) GO ME!**

**Two, was it worth the wait?**

**Three, I'm sure you are all getting tired of bitchy Esme, I am too, but please just be patient. From the beginning I have known the exact moment that I want her to change her mind about Bella, and it's just not that time yet. **

**Four, **_**LISTEN UP AND LISTEN GOOD**_**. I have already had numerous people bitch to me about how they don't like Bella's subservient attitude towards Edward. Initially I cut out the conversation where Bella told Edward she likes feeling like he is the leader in the relationship, but then I put it back in. Why? Because this is MY story, and this is MY Bella. And that is just the way MY Bella is. I told myself from the moment I started getting flames on this story that I would always hold strong and write my story the way I WANT to write it, so that's just the way it's going to be. Sorry if you don't like. So in short, if you have a problem with Bella's attitude towards her relationship with Edward…I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ABOUT IT! k, thanks. :)**

**Five, I'm entering my last month of pregnancy! WOHOO! I am a little nervous though :/ But anyway, I'm crazy hormonal right now and just don't mess with me, k flamers?**

**Six, next chapter = Charlie visit.**

**Seven, for those of you who have been asking who Edward's father is…I am not going to give him a name. Just because. No, a character named Carlisle is not going to show up later in the story. If you would like to think that Carlisle is not the name of Edward's father, go for it. But he will just remain nameless. It isn't important. **

**Jenna**

**P.S. Wanna know a secret? Reviews make me update faster. If you guys want me to continue updating every couple days like I was, I want reviews from everyone!**


	26. Father To Father, Man To Man

**A/N**

**I own nothing related to or involving **_**Twilight**_**.**

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**BPOV**

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I spent a lot of time with Chelsea the week following the incident with Esme. It wasn't a bad thing, though. I enjoyed spending time with her. I had been watching her a lot because I was quickly becoming her primary caregiver while Edward had to work. I had to work around my school schedule to be able to stay with her when Edward needed me to, but she was worth it. I was trying to use Esme's absence as a way to step in and show both Edward and Chelsea that they could depend on me. I would be there for them when they needed me…no matter what. They were my priority.

Edward hadn't spoken to Esme at all since that morning, which I had to admit sort of took me by surprise. Esme had been a bitch to me before, and Edward had been upset about it, but he had never reacted as strongly as he did this time. When he came back into the house that day after talking to her, he wouldn't tell me what it was she said that got to him so much. I knew she had to have said something, but he didn't want to talk about it. I was extremely curious about what had gone on, but I wasn't going to push for answers. If he didn't want to tell me what she said to him, then maybe I didn't want to know.

At first I was I was utterly humiliated by what Esme had walked in on. But as I calmed down and Edward reminded me that we had done nothing wrong, I started to feel better about it. Actually, I started to feel _pretentious_ about it. Esme was such a bitch to me and I was glad that if she was going to walk in on Edward and I doing something sexual that it ended up being what we were doing at that moment. I was glad that if she had to see something that she saw her precious son on his knees trying to please me, the girl he loves. Maybe it would be good for her to get an eyeful of that.

"I feel bad that you've been stuck watching Chelsea so much. But I really do appreciate it." Edward said to me with a serious look.

He had just gotten home from work on Thursday and since he had worked all through the night, he was laying in bed about to take a nap. I had coincidently just put Chelsea down for _her_ nap so, upon Edward's request, I got into bed to lay with him for a little while until he fell asleep.

"Stop saying that, Edward. When are you going to realize that I _want_ to help with her? I _want_ to do it, okay? It's not just you that I want to be around for and support. It's her, too."

He sighed and rolled over onto his side, pulling me up against his body.

"I love you."

"I love you, too." I answered. "I love both of you."

"Are you excited to see your Dad on Sunday?"

"Yeah, I guess. I just hope that everything goes smoothly."

"I meant to ask you yesterday but I forgot. Do you want to take Chelsea with us? Because if not I need to try and make other plans as soon as possible. I'm not going to call my mom so if you don't think we should take her then I'll have to call Jasper or Emmett or something."

I glanced down and bit my lip. I wasn't really sure why, but I hadn't told Edward that I hadn't told my Dad about Chelsea.

"Actually," I said, looking back up at him. "I haven't told him yet that you have a daughter."

His eyebrows furrowed together a little in confusion or maybe surprise.

"You haven't?"

"No" I said quietly and sheepishly.

"Why not? Do you think that will upset him?"

"I don't know. I mean, I told him how old you were and then I thought that was enough for him to absorb for the moment so I didn't want to put anything else on him. And then the subject was changed and it just never really came up."

"I'm sure you could have found a way to bring it up if you wanted him to know. Are you ashamed to be with someone that has a kid?"

"No, it's not like that…"

"Well what's it like then?"

"I guess I was just worried about how he would react. I'm still his kid in my Dad's eyes, Edward. It's only been a few months that I've been out of his house and living on my own. It's going to be hard for him to accept that I'm in such a mature type of relationship."

I looked at his face carefully, trying to discern if he was upset with me.

"I'm not mad at you, Bella." He said, seemingly reading the expression on my face. "But Chelsea is a huge part of our relationship. I know that you know that and I know that you respect that, because you love her. But if I'm going to go meet your father and try to get his approval of this relationship, then I need to be open and honest with him about myself. And Chelsea is a big part of me."

"I know." I said, nodding.

I did know. He was right.

"We're going to have to tell him about her eventually. And if it's later rather than sooner, he's just going to feel like you were lying to him. We don't have to take her with us if you don't want to, but your Dad at least needs to know about her existence."

I nodded and reached down to play with his fingers.

"You're right. And I think we should take her. She's a big part of my life now and if he's going to meet you then he should meet her too."

Edward nodded and leaned forward to kiss me.

"She is pretty adorable, after all. Maybe she'll win him over." He said, flashing me his signature smile.

"Maybe. She won _me_ over." I responded, returning his smile.

"Yeah? Is that the reason you agreed to date me?" He said, pulling me closer to him as he tickled my sides. "To get to my daughter?"

"No," I said through my laughter. "Don't be ridiculous. She's not the only reason I started dating you. She's just the reason I stick around."

"Oh yeah?" He said, laughing as he rolled over to pin me down and continue tickling me. "Mm…you're gonna have to pay for that."

I gasped in feign horror and managed to lift my hand to my chest.

"Oh no, you might have to spank me or something."

He smiled mischievously and lowered his head to kiss me again.

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Maybe I was starting to become a morning person, because on Sunday something _very_ rare happened. I woke up before Edward _and_ Chelsea. As much as I loved Chelsea, it was nice to have a break from being woken up by her jumping into bed with us and waking me up as she usually did when I spent the night and she was there.

I sighed in contentment of waking up in my favorite place and stretched my legs out. Then I looked over and smiled at Edward sleeping next to me. He was on his stomach with his arms resting above his head, which was facing away from me. I rolled over towards him and put one of my legs over one of his thighs, resting is between his legs. Then I put my hand on his side furthest from me and scooted closer to him until I was satisfied with half of body on top of his back. His breathing faltered a little and he made a very quiet humming sound, but he didn't wake up.

"Baby…" I whispered, rubbing my hand up and down over his ribs while I kissed his back. "Wake up."

He made a louder humming sound and then shifted a little. I ran my foot down the back of his lower leg and gave the back of his neck a slow, sensual kiss. Then I moved my head to his ear and ran my tongue along the shell of it. He groaned and shifted again.

"You're gonna kill me, woman." He mumbled sleepily.

I laughed and grazed my teeth over his ear lobe.

"What? Can your old man's heart not handle me?" I whispered.

"You have a sex addiction. Were the three orgasms that you had last night, one of which seemed to be particularly intense, not enough to satisfy you?" He asked, although he didn't seem at all serious.

I laughed and ran my hand over his bicep.

"Don't worry. Me and the little lady down south are very satisfied…for now." I said before kissing his back again. "I just want to cuddle and kiss you."

"But I have morning breath" He mumbled.

"I don't care. I have morning breath too. I just woke up."

"You love me enough to kiss me with morning breath?"

"Mhmm…" I said, kissing the back of his neck again.

He rolled over slowly with a big smile on his face as I shifted with him so that I could remain on top of him as he moved onto his back. His eyes fluttered open and his piercing green gaze met mine with a look of pure love.

"Then plant one on me, baby girl."

I smiled and lowered my head, touching my lips to his softly.

"DADDY! DADDY!" Chelsea yelled from behind the door to Edward's bedroom while also knocking on it.

_Well, it was good while it lasted._

The doorknob jiggled as she tried to open it, but she couldn't because it was locked. I sighed and rolled off of Edward, getting up off of the bed to pick my clothes up off the floor and put them on.

"Hold on, Chels." Edward said as he got up and started to get dressed as well.

"BUT DADDY I _NEED_ YOU!"

"Are you dying?"

"NO." she yelled back.

"Is the house on fire?"

"NO."

"Then hold on."

Once Edward and I were both dressed, he went and unlocked the door before pulling it open. As soon as it was out of the way, Chelsea thrust her arm up in the air, holding something up in her hand for Edward to see.

"DADDY, MY TOOTH CAME OUT!" she screamed.

"My goodness, you really are turning into a big girl." Edward said as he bent down to pick her up.

He swung her up onto his hip and took her hand to look at the tooth that was sitting in it.

"BELLA, MY TOOTH CAME OUT!" She yelled at me.

"I know. I heard you." I said, laughing as I went over to her and Edward.

I gave her a big kiss on the cheek and then looked down at the tiny tooth resting in her palm.

"We'll have to make sure we leave that under your pillow tonight so the tooth fairy can find it." Edward said.

"What is she going to leave me?" Chelsea asked excitedly.

"I don't know. We'll have to look and see in the morning."

I didn't make a big breakfast that morning because we wanted to get on the road quickly since we were only making a day trip to Forks. So we all ate cereal and then Edward and I took turns taking quick showers while the other helped get Chelsea ready. I knew that my Dad probably wouldn't have any kid-friendly snacks and such, so Edward and I made sure to take some food that Chelsea would actually eat without a fight and a pack of juice boxes. We packed her favorite little crochet blanket as well in case we were able to get her to take a nap at some point. We also took, by Chelsea's request, baby Bella.

Although I tried to hurry so that we could get out of there at a decent time, I still took the time to try to look nice. I was nervous about introducing Edward to my Dad and I thought maybe if I felt confident in appearance, I would feel more confident all around. I didn't want to overdo it, however, so I kept it simple. I wore jeans with a simple fitted long sleeve grey shirt and a braided leather belt. Where I took the time to look nice was on my hair and makeup. I spent a little extra time to make my eye makeup look extra nice and tamed my hair so that my natural waves looked good. I topped off my simple outfit with the Tiffany's link charm necklace Edward got me for Christmas and the matching bracelet my Dad gave me for graduation. It seemed like a good time to wear those particular two pieces of jewelry since the two men who gave them to me would be meeting that day.

We worked rather efficiently and were able to get our stuff together and everyone settled in the car faster than I thought we would. Edward put _The Lion King_ into the DVD player that was installed in his car to play on the screen that was in the back of the headrest of his seat. He let Chelsea use the headphones from his iPod to listen to it as she watched. Our trip wasn't too long, so the movie would hopefully keep her entertained for almost the entirety of the drive.

"So I'm assuming you told your Dad that we're bringing Chelsea with us?" Edward asked as he shut the garage door and put the car in reverse to back out of the driveway.

"Yeah, I told him."

"And how did react?"

"Well, he was certainly surprised." I said, thinking back to the conversation I had with my Dad on Friday. "He said that I should have told him when I first mentioned you and then asked if there were any other major details about you that I was leaving out."

"So do you think he was angry with you for not telling him?"

"No, I don't think so. My Dad is a really easy going guy. He made sure to let me know that he wished I would have mentioned it before, though."

"Well I'm glad he wasn't upset."

"Yeah, me too. I told him that she's really cute and irresistible and that he's gonna love her." I said, smiling.

"Does he like kids?"

I thought about that for a moment and then shrugged.

"I don't know, actually. I mean, I haven't really ever seen him around kids. But he's a really sweet guy. And any person with a heart couldn't help fall for Chelsea."

He laughed softly and reached over to take my hand.

"I have to agree with you on that."

"Are you nervous at all about meeting him?"

I looked over at him as he seemed to ponder that for a moment.

"A little" He admitted.

"Really?" I asked.

Edward was always so composed, strong, and confident. It was kind of strange to think that he was nervous but I found it kind of cute.

"Yeah, a little bit. I mean, it's only natural. If I weren't nervous then I would hope you would be concerned." He said, laughing a little. "I want to make a good impression on him because I want him to be okay with our relationship. And I guess I'm probably a little more nervous than I normally would be because of the whole getting arrested issue."

"So what if he says he's not okay with our relationship? Would that change the way you feel about me?" I asked, watching his face carefully.

He stayed quiet for a few long moments with an expression of deep thoughtfulness on his face.

"No." He finally said decisively. "If he wasn't okay with it or didn't like me or whatever then it would be up to you to decide if you still wanted to be with me. I would, however, be very disappointed."

"Just for the record" I said, squeezing his hand lightly in mine. "Nothing could ever keep me away from you. I love you too much."

He smiled and lifted our hands up to his lips to kiss the back of mine.

"Is that a promise?" He asked before kissing my hand a second time.

"A guarantee" I confirmed.

Our drive was a pretty pleasant one. I got a little car sick, which wasn't uncharacteristic for me on road trips, but it wasn't bad enough to ruin my morning or our trip. Chelsea thankfully stayed satisfied with watching her movie while Edward and I chatted lightly among ourselves. Our first topic of discussion was Nathan. Edward had been tested for bone marrow compatibility on Friday and he was really anxious to get his results back on Tuesday. He explained to me that if he _was_ a match, that the procedure to extract the marrow was a rather difficult and painful one. I was quick to assure him that if he was a match that I would be there to take care of him that day while he recuperated. Not only because I loved him and would be there for him no matter what, but because what he was offering to do was amazing…just like him.

Edward and Chelsea had been to the Children's hospital a second time to visit Nathan during the week, but once again I wasn't able to go because of school. Edward told me that he wanted me to meet Nathan and that he hoped I could make it next time, and I hoped that I could to. He had really taken to Nathan and I wanted to meet him. Not only because he sounded like a sweet little boy, but also because I was sure he was thankful for any visitors he got since Edward had told me he didn't really have any family.

Once Chelsea's movie was over, we only had about thirty minutes left to drive. Edward and I listened to her ramble for a while about things that I guess seemed utterly exciting to a four year old. She seemed to be pretty fixated on the concept of the tooth fairy. She talked about that for a quiet a while, insisting that Edward explain to her every little detail about the procedure of the tooth fairy getting into their house. She even suggested that they leave the window in her room cracked that night to insure that she would be able to get into her room. I jokingly suggested we leave a sign in the front yard pointing out which room was Chelsea's. She took me seriously, however, and thought that was an excellent idea.

When we finally pulled into my Dad's driveway, I got butterflies in my stomach. I wasn't nervous that my Dad would be blatantly rude to Edward, because he just wasn't like that, but I really wanted everything to go perfectly.

"Is this your house, Bella?" Chelsea asked as Edward put the car in park.

"No, this is your new house." Edward answered. "This is where we're dumping you off to live. I can't afford you anymore." He said, looking through the review mirror at her with a smile.

I turned to look at Chelsea who had a horrified expression on her face.

"Edward!" I screeched, slapping him on the shoulder. "Don't say that!"

I turned back to Chelsea and reached out to pat her leg.

"Don't listen to him, sweetie. He's joking."

Edward laughed as he turned off the car and unbuckled his seat belt. He got out of the car and then shut his door and opened Chelsea's.

"I'm kidding, my little princess." He said as he started unbuckling the straps to her car seat even though she could do it herself. "You know your Daddy loves you. You're my precious my little girl." He added, lifting her out of the seat and into his arms in a big hug.

"Promise you're not going to leave me here?" She asked, putting one of her hands on each of his cheeks.

"I promise, Chelsea. I am not going to leave you here." He said, obviously trying not to laugh. "You're never going to get away from your Dad."

He gave her a big kiss and then put her down on her feet and went to grab the bag of things we had brought for her. I got out of the car and walked around to go over to where Chelsea was standing next to Edward.

"Is your Daddy as nice as my Daddy is, Bella?" She asked, looking up at me.

I looked over at Edward who was smiling at me with raised eyebrows.

"That's a good question, Bella." He said, sounding amused. "Is your Daddy as nice as Chelsea's Daddy? Is your Daddy as _handsome_ as Chelsea's Daddy?"

I laughed and turned back to Chelsea.

"I don't know. I'll let you decide if my Daddy is as nice as yours."

"Does he like to play like you do?"

"Uh," I stammered, not really sure how to answer. "I think so. He used to play with me a lot when I was little."

"Alright, I've got everything." Edward said, shutting the car door. He had Chelsea's bag of stuff in one hand and baby Bella hooked under that same arm.

I took a deep breath and turned towards the sidewalk that led up to the front door.

"Well, I guess there's no better time than the present." I mumbled.

Chelsea ran up the sidewalk to the front porch while Edward came over next to me and took his hand. I held it as we walked up the sidewalk because I didn't want to hurt his feelings but then I let go of it when we got to the door. It wasn't that I didn't want to hold his hand. I just didn't think that I should.

"Am I not allowed to hold your hand in front of your Dad?" He asked.

"No, you can. I just don't think you should right when he first sees you. Is that okay?"

"Sure" He answered with a shrug.

I tried turning the door knob to just walk right in the front door, because I felt weird knocking at my own house, but the door was locked. So I rang the doorbell. While we waited I glanced over at Chelsea who was looking around curiously and then over at Edward who was watching me. I gave him a small smile and then turned back towards the door just as the knob was turning. A moment later, the door swung open to reveal my Dad standing there holding a can of Coke. I think my heart skipped a beat out of nerves.

"Hey, Bells." He said, looking back and forth between me and Edward.

"Hey, Dad" I answered, moving forward to hug him.

When I moved back from our hug I saw my Dad looking straight at Edward sternly.

"Hello, Mr. Swan." Edward said, extending his free hand to my Dad. "I'm Edward Cullen. I'm very glad to meet you, sir."

"Call me Charlie." My Dad answered, hesitating a moment before shaking Edward's hand.

"Okay." Edward responded. "Well it's very nice to meet you, Charlie."

"I'm glad to meet you too, Edward. I want to meet anyone that's so involved in Bella's life."

"You have funny hair on your face."

All three of our heads immediately dropped down to Chelsea, who was referring to my Dad's mustache. I had momentarily forgotten she was even there. She was staring up at my Dad curiously.

"I-I'm sorry." Edward said, sounding nervous. "Chelsea, that wasn't very nice."

My Dad ignored him and squatted down to Chelsea's level.

"Well who is this pretty little lady?" My Dad asked Chelsea, smiling at her widely.

"I'm Chelsea and you're Bella's Daddy." She said before, taking us all by surprise, she threw herself at him in a big hug.

I had expected her to be shy around my Dad at first like she usually was around strangers, but she wasn't being shy at all. My Dad laughed and wrapped his arms around her.

"Well aren't you adorable." He said, patting her back gently.

Chelsea giggled and then pulled back and reached up to Edward.

"I want to hold baby Bella, Daddy." She said insistently.

"Baby Bella, huh?" My Dad said, raising his eyebrows at me as he stood up and Edward handed the giraffe to Chelsea.

"Um, are you going to let us inside?" I asked, raising my eyebrows back at him.

"Yeah, yeah, come on in." He mumbled, stepping aside so we could walk through the door.

I led the way with Edward and Chelsea following behind me into the living room. My Dad sat down in his favorite recliner and Edward and I sat down on the couch. Chelsea put baby Bella down next to me and then climbed up onto my lap. When I looked up from her I saw that my Dad was watching me carefully. When I dropped my eyes a little to avoid his stare, I noticed for the first time that two of my Dad's shotguns were lying across the coffee table. One of them was partially taken apart.

"Dad, is it really necessary to have these out right now?" I asked, gesturing to the guns.

"What?" He said defensively. "I was cleaning them."

"You've got a great house here, Charlie." Edward commented, changing the subject as he put the bag of Chelsea's stuff down.

"Thanks. It uh…used to be in a lot better shape." My Dad said, running a hand through his hair. "But I've had it for years and it's got some wear and tear on it."

"So Bella tells me that you're the police chief here in Forks?"

"Yup, sure am."

"When I was younger I wanted to grow up and be a police officer." Edward answered.

I smiled over at him, wondering if that were true.

"Is that so? And then you changed your mind to be some hot shot doctor, huh?"

Edward glanced over at me with a nervous expression, probably wondering if he should be offended or not.

"Yes, well, I later found that my passion was helping children. So I went into pediatrics."

My Dad nodded and turned to me.

"So, Bells, is school going well?"

"Yeah, it is. I've been working really hard."

"Good, school is important." He then turned back to Edward. "Do you agree that school is important, Edward?"

"Absolutely" Edward said, nodding vigorously. "I always encourage Bella to put school before anything else."

"Good. Because her education is important."

"It is. I one hundred percent agree."

"And how are things with the girls?" My Dad asked, turning back to me. "Is Alice doing okay?"

"Yeah, she's great. She's doing really well in school and she's been dating one of Edward's friends. They're really happy together."

"And what about Rosalie? Is everything working out okay for her? She's the one I worry about. I hope she settled things with that uh," He paused, glancing at Chelsea on my lap. "Situation she got herself into recently."

"She did." I assured him. "I think she's doing better now."

"I hope so."

"Speaking of that situation, sir," Edward started, recapturing my Dad's attention. "I was hoping to get a moment alone with you to discuss that. Do you think we could do that now? I'd like to get it out of the way so that we can enjoy the rest of our day."

"Alright, sure, we can do that." My Dad said with a nod. "We can go, uh…" He started, looking around. "Well I guess we can go outside. It's a little cold, though."

"No, you guys stay here." I said, standing up and lifting Chelsea into my arms. "I want to take Chelsea upstairs to see my old room."

"Oh, okay." My Dad answered.

"Bye, Bella's Daddy." Chelsea said, waving at him over my shoulder.

I laughed and tickled her side with my free hand, making her giggle.

"You'll see him again in just a few minutes." I told her as I carried her up the stairs.

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**EPOV**

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Bella's father was intimidating. Not really because of the things he said to me, but because of his demeanor. He definitely put off a sort of defensive vibe, and it made me nervous.

As soon as Bella and Chelsea were gone up the stairs, I pulled out my wallet and retrieved the check that I brought with me.

"First and foremost, Charlie, I want to pay you back for my bail. And I want to thank you for paying it. I know that you didn't have to do that, but I'm very thankful that you did. So if you'll just tell me how much it was, then I'll write you out a check right now."

"It was two hundred and seventy five dollars."

"Okay. Um, do you have a pen that I can use?"

"Sure."

He opened the drawer of the table next to where he was sitting and pulled out a pen. He tossed it to me and I caught it and then pulled off the cap and lowered my hand to fill out the check.

"Should I just make this out to Charlie Swan?"

"Charles." He answered. "Charles Swan."

I filled out the check and then handed it to him. He took it and…

_Wait, did I see that right? Yeah, I definitely just saw that right…_

I filled out the check and then handed it to him. He took it and tore it in half.

"Uh I'm not trying to be disrespectful here, sir…but what are you doing?" I asked, astonished.

"I'm doing my part."

"Doing your part in what?" I asked, starting to think that maybe Bella's father was crazy.

"Doing my part in what you did for Rosalie."

"Excuse me?"

"Let me make one thing clear here, son. I'm not one to condone violence, but any man who puts a hand on a woman in a violent way is a jackass."

"Yes, absolutely. That's the reason I lost my temper that night."

"I know. And while I don't condone violence, I would have done the same thing that you did. While your actions had consequences that we all wish could have been avoided, you acted out of a good place."

"I was. But I still want to pay you back. Those consequences should remain on me."

"Yeah, you're probably right. And it's probably completely unethical for me to do this, but I'm not your parent. I don't have to worry about instilling morals in you. So I'm not going to take that check, because to be honest I wish I had been there to beat the shit out of that jackass myself."

I was momentarily stunned. I was not expecting to hear that from Charlie, but to be honest…it was cool as shit. I was quickly growing very fond of Charlie, but I still didn't want to have unpaid debts to him.

"Are you sure about this, Charlie? Because it really should be my responsibility to ta–"

He cut me off before I could answer.

"I'm sure. I can't let you be the only hero now, can I?" He joked, although he kept a completely straight face.

"Well, uh, thank you." I said, feeling a little awkward. "I appreciate your understanding about the situation. I was worried that you were going to hold that against me."

"Yeah, well, listen. Just because I understand about the Rosalie situation doesn't mean I like you. I'm not saying that I _don't_ like you, but you're not getting off scot free. I still have to form an opinion about you, and you better believe I'm gonna be tough on you."

I laughed nervously and nodded.

"I understand."

"So there's just one more thing I want to say while we still have time alone. Father to father, man to man."

"Okay." I said, trying to appear confident instead of nervous.

"How old were you when your daughter was born, Edward?"

"Twenty six" I answered.

"Bella tells me she's four years old. So that makes you thirty. Do you know how old I am, Edward?"

"No." I answered honestly.

"I was twenty three when Bella was born. Her mother and I fell in love young and rushed into a marriage and things got started a little earlier than we anticipated, but that's not my point. My point is that I was twenty three when Bella was born and now she's eighteen. That makes me forty one years old, Edward."

"Okay." I answered, not really seeing where he was going with this.

"That means I'm eleven years older than you."

_Ah, now I think I see where he's going with this._

"I see." I answered, trying to sound indifferent.

"That means you're closer to my age than you are to my daughter's. Can you see why that would make me a little weary about you dating her?"

I sighed and leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees.

"Yes, I see why that would bother you. But I can't change my age or Bella's. All I can do is try to prove to you how much a care about her. She's become a huge part of my life in a rather short amount of time. You're daughter is a very special girl."

"I know. She is. And she's the only one I've got. So I assume you can understand why I feel so protective of her."

"I do. I am also the father of a single daughter, and I can relate to the way you feel about Bella."

"Good. So I guess it can go without saying that if you ever hurt her I will hunt you down." He said, gesturing to the two shot guns on the coffee table. "And I will cause you a great deal of pain."

"Yes, that definitely goes without saying." I answered with a nod.

"Good. And now that you mention your own daughter, that reminds me of another concern of mine. Chelsea is adorable, but Bella has been a legal adult for less than a year. She's still immature in some ways, and I'm not sure she's ready for the responsibility of caring for a child. Is that not a concern for you as well?"

I stayed quiet for a few moments, trying to decide the right way to phrase my answer. I didn't want to say that I didn't expect Bella to have any responsibility when it came to my daughter because that wasn't entirely true. Bella had already taken some responsibility for Chelsea when she decided that she wanted to help take care of her. If Bella was in a relationship with me, then that automatically gave her some responsibility for Chelsea. We were a package deal, and Bella knew that. On the other hand, I didn't want Charlie to think that I was thrusting her into a motherly role too soon.

I took a deep breath before finally answering.

"Anything involving my daughter will always be a concern of mine. However, Bella has reacted unbelievably well to her. They've both formed a strong bond with the other, but Bella also knows how to be authoritative with her when she needs to be. With that being said, I would never expect Bella to fill the role of her mother unless that happens to be a decision we make together further down the road."

"Yeah, like way further down the road." He said sternly.

Deciding that probably wasn't the best time to tell him I hoped to have more children with his daughter in the maybe not-so-distant future, I just nodded and smiled.

"I assure you I will never make any decision concerning your daughter if I have any doubt at all of it being a responsible and well thought move."

"I certainly hope not. Bella and I talk almost every day. So even though I may not be in the same city as you, I've got my eye on you. Just know that I will be prying for information on what's going on between you two."

"I guarantee you I will not let you down. Your daughter is one of the first priorities in my life. She only comes second to my own daughter."

He narrowed his eyes at me just slightly and leaned back in his chair.

"I still haven't determined my opinion of you."

"Well I suppose no opinion is better than a negative one." I answered.

"At least you're an optimist."

"I try to be." I said, laughing a little.

"Do you drink?" He asked randomly.

I wondered if it were a trick question. Maybe he wanted me to say no, but I wasn't going to lie to him.

"Occasionally, yes. But not on a regular basis."

"Good answer." He said approvingly. "I probably wouldn't have believed you if you'd said no, and I like a man who can sit back and have a beer with me."

I smiled, pleased that I apparently had the right answer.

"Well I certainly enjoy an occasional beer or two."

"Have you ever given my daughter alcohol?"

I paused and bit my lip, not wanting to answer that.

"Yes, I have. I'm not going to lie to you. But only when I'm with her and can make sure that she's making responsible decisions."

"That kind of sounds like a fatherly thing to say. You don't have a, like, father-daughter fetish or something, do you?"

"No." I answered quickly, surprised that he would even ask that. "No, I do not think of your daughter in a fatherly way…trust me."

"Was that a sexual innuendo?"

"Absolutely not"

"What about fishing? Do you fish?"

"Unfortunately, not recently. I used to go on fishing trips with my Grandfather when I was younger, but we stopped going once he got too old. And then he passed away a couple years back."

"Are you any good at fishing?"

"Uh, I guess so. I kind of thought fishing was more about luck than skill."

"Well you must not be any good then, because it's all skill."

"I guess I'm not good then." I said laughing a little.

"What about sports? You've got the beer drinking down but if you're a real man and you're no good at fishing then you've gotta like sports."

"Yeah, I like sports. I'm mostly a football and baseball guy. I'm not a big soccer fan and I like playing basketball but not watching."

"Nice." He said with a nod. "I'm a baseball fan myself. I watch a bit of football, but only college."

"Maybe we'll be able to catch a game together sometime." I suggested, wanting him to know that I did not intend for this to be our last time being around each other.

"Well," He said with a sigh. "I thought maybe we could all go out to lunch at Bella's favorite restaurant here in town. I guess it's getting around that time. Are you hungry?"

"Yeah, I could eat." I said honestly.

"Well then why don't you head upstairs and go tell Bella and that little cutie of yours that I'm done interrogating you for now."

I laughed and stood up.

"Well it was nice talking to you, sir."

"Oh come on, don't pretend you actually enjoyed that."

"No, I did. I may have been nervous, but I'm happy to finally meet you."

"Yeah, well, don't call me sir. I'm not your teacher. Bella's room is up the stairs, first room on the right."

I nodded and then turned to head for the stairs. I wasn't sure what it was about Charlie, but I really liked him for some reason. Even if he wasn't sure about how he felt about me. I think I liked him so much because I respected him. I could tell just from our short conversation that he was a good guy, and I liked how protective he was over Bella. I could tell that he loved her a lot. We had that in common…our love for Bella _and_ our protectiveness over her. It was just a different kind of love.

I knocked gently on the door that Charlie had directed me to and then opened it and walked in. Bella was laying on her side on the bed running her hand through the hair of a giggling Chelsea who was on her stomach and had her head turned towards her.

"Hey" Bella said, sitting up when she saw me.

"Hey" I answered, going to sit next to Bella on the bed.

I leaned over to kiss Chelsea's cheek and then back up kiss Bella's.

"So you survived being alone with my Dad?" She asked, smirking.

"Indeed I did. He's a good guy, I like him. He loves you a lot."

"I'm glad you like him. Do you think you guys get along well?"

"I don't know. He said he hasn't decided yet if he likes me or not."

"He actually said that to you?" She asked, laughing.

"_I _like you, Daddy." Chelsea said, smiling up at me.

I laughed and reached over to tickle her side. She giggled adorably and flipped over onto her back as she thrashed around on the bed.

"You _like_ me?" I asked as I tickled her. "You're my little girl! You're supposed to _love_ me!"

She continued giggling, trying to push my hand away from her. I tickled her for a few more moments and then stopped so she could catch her breath.

"I do love you!" She said, still giggling and flashing me her adorable and now semi-toothless smile.

"Then give me a big kiss." I said, leaning towards her and pointing to my check.

She grabbed my face and planted a big, sloppy kiss on my cheek. I pulled away laughing and smiled down at her. When I looked over at Bella I noticed her watching Chelsea and I with a look of intense adoration on her face. I wasn't sure if it were for me or my daughter…maybe both. I smiled when my eyes shifted down to her necklace. I'd noticed she was wearing it since right after she put it on but I hadn't commented on it yet. I loved when she wore it.

"What are you smiling at?" She asked, laughing a little.

I reached out to brush some hair off of her neck and behind her shoulder. Then I brushed the tips of my pointer and middle fingers across the chain of her necklace.

"I like your necklace."

"Thanks." She said, lifting her hand to touch mine with hers. "My wonderful boyfriend gave it to me."

I smiled again and leaned in to kiss right below her ear.

"I love you so much." I whispered against her skin, making her shiver.

When I pulled back I saw that she now had an adorable blush gracing her cheeks.

"I love you too." She whispered quietly.

"Daddy, isn't Bella's room pretty?" Chelsea asked me.

I broke eye contact with Bella to really look at her room for the first time. I had been so preoccupied loving on my girls that I hadn't really taken in my surroundings yet. Chelsea was right. Her room was nice. The walls were painted a pale yellow and the bedspread and curtains were a light lavender color. I stood up and walked around the room, looking at all of her pictures, and boy was there a lot of them. I noticed that Alice and Rosalie both appeared in most of the pictures. When I found a particularly interesting looking picture, I picked it up to examine it further.

It was a picture of Bella and some guy on a beach. She looked younger, but not by too much. The guy was sitting on a log and Bella was standing behind him, leaning over to kiss his cheek. When Bella saw what I was looking at, she came over and took it out of my hands gently.

"Who's that?" I asked curiously.

"Um…that's Jake." She said, blushing a little bit.

"Oh" I said, recognizing that as the name of her ex boyfriend.

"Sorry. I don't even know why that's still up. I just haven't changed anything since I moved out. The only time I've been home is for Christmas."

"It's okay." I said with a nonchalant shrug.

I really didn't mind that she still had the picture up. I felt secure in our relationship and I knew that she had only been home once since we started dating. It would have been different if it were something she looked at every day. It was hard to compare myself to the guy in the picture, anyway. He was good looking enough, but he looked maybe sixteen or seventeen when it was taken. How do you compare a boy that age to a thirty year old man? But I didn't try too hard to compare myself to him regardless. Like I said, I was secure with the way Bella and I felt about each other.

Bella nodded and opened a drawer in her dresser, putting the picture inside and then closing it again. I rubbed her back for just a second and then continued looking around the room. I smiled when I spotted a shelf on her bookcase filled with trophies…cheerleading trophies.

"I didn't know you were a cheerleader." I said, turning to her.

"Oh, yeah, it wasn't really a big deal. I didn't do it competitively or anything, just in school."

I licked my bottom lip and turned away, trying to avoid imagining Bella in a tiny cheerleading uniform until a more appropriate time.

"I'm hungry." Chelsea informed us from where she was still lying on the bed.

"That reminds me. Your Dad sent me up here to tell you that he's done interrogating me for now and see if you want to go to lunch. He said something about your favorite restaurant in town."

"Are you hungry?" She asked.

"I'm not starving, but I could eat. Are you hungry?"

"Not really." She said, making an uneasy face. "I got kind of car sick this morning."

"Are you okay now?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Food just doesn't sound very appetizing right now. But if everyone else is hungry then we should go."

"Are you sure you don't want to lie down or something?"

"No, I'm fine. Let's go."

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Since we couldn't all fit in Charlie's police cruiser very comfortably, I drove to the restaurant while he navigated and Bella sat in the back chatting with Chelsea. Charlie made a comment about my car being flashy and I wondered if it was meant to be an insult. The restaurant that we ended up at could hardly be considered a restaurant. It was a tiny diner, but it was quaint and appealing in its own way. I kept wanting to touch Bella as we walked in, but I didn't want to make her uncomfortable around her Dad so I kept my hands to myself.

"Mr. Charlie, do you get to take bad guys to jail in your police man car?" Chelsea asked once we were seated at our table.

Charlie laughed a little, seeming amused.

"Yes, I do."

"Do you tie their hands up behind their backs?" She asked, wide eyed.

"Yup, if they did something real bad then they get handcuffed and taken to jail. I hope you've been a good girl. You haven't been arrested before, have you?" He teased her.

"No!" She said, giggling. "I'm only four!" She added, holding up four fingers as an explanation.

"Good point. I don't think I've ever arrested a four year old before. When we get back to my house I can show you my police car if you want. I'll even turn the lights on for you and you can sit in the back like the bad guys do."

"Only if you promise you won't take me to jail." She said seriously.

"I promise I won't take you to jail." Charlie answered, holding up his hand in a 'scout's honor' type move.

"Hey there, Chief" Our waitress said as she came over, flipping her notepad open. "Oh, you have Bella with you!" She added excitedly when she noticed her.

Bella smiled at her warmly and gave her a small wave.

"Yup, my little girl finally came down for a visit." Charlie said proudly. "Oh and uh, this one here is Edward." He added, nodding towards me. "Bella's been dating him up at school. And this is his daughter, Chelsea." He said, gesturing to her.

"It's nice to meet you." The waitress said, extending her name to me. "I'm Loretta. I've known Bella since she was just a kid."

"Yeah, well, that wasn't all that long ago." Charlie said, looking at me.

I laughed awkwardly and shook Loretta's hand.

"It's nice to meet you too." I told her.

"Is everything going good for you up at school?" She asked Bella.

"Yeah, everything's great. I really like it there."

"Well good. I assume you're making good grades."

"Yes, I am. I've been working hard."

"Well good. You've got a good kid here, Chief."

"I sure do." Charlie answered, patting Bella's shoulder.

"Well, do you all know what you want to order?" Loretta asked.

"You know I do." Charlie replied. "It's always the usual for me."

"Are you ready, Edward?" Bella asked me.

"Yeah, I'm ready."

"Okay, then." Loretta said, raising her pen to her notepad.

Charlie and I both ordered the T bone steak with a baked potato. Bella ordered the chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and fried okra and then I ordered just a simple turkey and cheese sandwich for Chelsea. All four of us just got water to drink.

"I thought you said you weren't hungry." I said to Bella, laughing. She had ordered the most food out of all of us.

"I wasn't. But then we came in here and I smelled the chicken fried steak and I decided I really wanted it."

"I thought your favorite was the chicken Cesar salad." Charlie said.

"It was." Bella answered with a shrug. "But chicken fried steak sounded good."

"I bet it's not as good as Sue Clearwater's homemade chicken fried steak." Charlie answered. "Hers is delicious."

"Speaking of good cooks, Bella's food is excellent. She's been spoiling me and Chelsea." I said, smiling at Bella.

"She is a good cook. And she spoiled me too. That's just one of the many reasons I miss having her around." Charlie said, patting her shoulder again.

"Yeah, well, it sounds like Sue Clearwater has been doing a pretty good job filling my shoes in the kitchen." Bella responded, raising her eyebrows at him.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Charlie said dismissively, although his face reddened a little.

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When we got back to Charlie's house, Chelsea made sure to see to it that he kept his promise to show her the police cruiser. He let her sit in the front seat and pretend she was driving and then he showed her what some of the buttons did. Chelsea couldn't get enough of watching him turn the lights on. She loved it. She giggled uncontrollably when Charlie put her in the back seat behind the cage and locked her in. He seemed to be enjoying himself too. Every time she would smile or giggle he would laugh with her.

While we watched Chelsea play around with Charlie in the car, Bella and I sat on the steps of the front porch. To my surprise, Bella had scooted over close to me and lifted my arm to put it around her as she snuggled into my side.

"Look who's being affectionate in front of their father." I teased her as she put my arm around her.

"Yeah, well, I've missed touching you today. And he's not really paying attention to us anyway."

"Hey, I'm not complaining. I've missed touching you too."

"I think my Dad really likes Chelsea. I've never seen him laugh so much in one day."

"Well I guess she did win him over, huh?"

"I guess so."

"I don't think he knows if he likes me or not yet, but I hope I grow on him or something."

"He has to you like you." She answered, playing with the fabric of my jeans over my knee.

"Why does he have to like me?"

"Because there's nothing about you to not like, baby"

I smiled and kissed the top of her head quickly. I would never be able to comprehend why Bella loved me as much as she did, but I was incredibly thankful for it. I was incredibly thankful for _her_…just to know her.

We watched Chelsea and Charlie for a few more minutes until she had finally seen everything there was to see on the car. Charlie locked up the car and then they both started walking towards us. When Chelsea's eyes locked on mine she broke into a full force run in my direction. I removed my arm from around Bella just in time to catch her when she threw herself into my arms. She locked her arms around my neck in a big hug.

"Well now I see what your plan was, Bells." Charlie said as he approached us.

"What do you mean?" Bella asked him.

"You brought this little one," He said, gesturing to Chelsea. "To try to charm me into liking your new boyfriend…she sure is a cute little thing."

"DID YOU SEE ME IN THE POLICE CAR, DADDY?"

"Yeah, I did. That was fun, huh?" I answered her.

"YES!" She answered before turning and looking at Charlie expectantly.

"Don't worry, I didn't forget." He said, smiling at her. "Edward, Chelsea wants me to do a little demonstration on you. Are you game?"

"Uh, yeah I guess so." I said hesitantly.

"Geez, Dad. You're not going to pepper spray him or something are you?" Bella asked.

"No, no, I'm not gonna hurt him. Don't worry. I'll be right back." He said, walking up the steps and into the house.

"What is he gonna do?" Bella asked, pulling Chelsea out of my lap and into hers.

Chelsea giggled and then cupped her hand to Bella's ear and whispered something in it. Bella laughed in response and looked over at me.

"What?" I asked.

"You'll see."

"It's gonna be so funny, Daddy!" Chelsea giggled.

Charlie came out a moment later, swinging his handcuffs around in his hand.

_Really? Is he really going to handcuff me?_

"Stand up, son." He said sternly.

_Yeah, self. He is really going to handcuff you_.

I glanced over at Bella, who was laughing with Chelsea, and then stood up.

"Turn around." Charlie told me.

I laughed nervously and turned around.

"So," Charlie started as he pulled my hands behind my back. "Chelsea said she wanted to know what it was like to be handcuffed, and since her little wrists are too small…I eagerly suggested that we try it out on you." He slapped the cuff on one wrist and then pulled my other against it and slapped the other cuff on, making Chelsea erupt into a louder fit of giggles.

"You're really enjoying this, aren't you Dad?" Bella said through her laughter.

"Thoroughly" He answered.

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Around four that afternoon, we were definitely ready to go. Chelsea was getting cranky and hadn't taken a nap since she was too excited about being a new environment and meeting Charlie. Bella also seemed tired. She was yawning continuously and I had to try not to let the two of them rub off on me since I had a two hour drive to make. As I carried Chelsea out to the car, she was practically falling asleep on me.

"Say goodbye to Charlie, Chels." I said to her, turning her towards him.

"Bye, Mr. Charlie." She said, waving at him. "I liked your police car."

Then she lifted her head from my shoulder and started squirming around in my arms.

"What? Do you want me to put you down?" I asked her.

"I have to give Bella's Daddy a hug."

Charlie laughed as I handed her over to him.

"Bye, Chelsea." He said as he took her. "I'm glad your Dad brought you today. I had fun with you."

"Me too" She answered and then gave him a big kiss on the cheek. "You should keep the funny hair on your face." She added, patting his mustache.

He laughed and then kissed her cheek and passed her back to me.

"I'll keep that in mind. Be a good girl."

"Are you going to come visit us at our house next time?" She asked him.

"Uh, I don't know. Maybe." He answered her.

They gave each other one last wave before I opened up the back door of the car and put Chelsea into her car seat. While I helped her with the straps, Charlie went to say his goodbyes to Bella. When I turned around, they were locked in a hug. Charlie patted her on the shoulder as they pulled away and she promised to call and tell him that we made it back safely. After exchanging 'I love you' statements with each other, Bella gave him a kiss on the cheek and then walked around to the passenger side of the car.

"Well it was nice to meet you, Charlie." I said, extending my hand to him.

He took my hand and shook it as he looked over and watched Bella get into the car.

"Alright, listen." He said as soon as she had the car door closed and she was inside. "Bella is my little girl, Edward…my only little girl. And although you may not realize it, she's on a different level of maturity than you. She's only been out on her own for a matter of months, and I worry about her. But I see that you care about her. So, just…take care of her for me, Edward. Okay? Take care of my girl. Look out for her. Please." He said with a very serious expression on her face.

I smiled at him and put my hand on his shoulder.

"You have my word, Charlie. I'll take care of her."

"Good. I like you, Edward."

"You do?" I asked and then laughed because I sounded like on excited little kid.

"Yeah, I do. I just had to put up that hard-ass front to test you out. You know, see if you cared enough about Bella to try and make me like you."

I laughed and ran my hand through my hair. I was relieved to hear that he liked me, because he was a hard guy to read.

"I do care about her. Probably more than you think."

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**A/N:**

**First, thank you to Savannah (**_**MusicFreak004**_**) who was my beta for this chapter. I normally look over chapters to this story myself, but since the chapters are getting longer it's harder for me to catch mistakes.**

**For those who have been asking, I am going to name my baby Max, middle name Wayne. I know it's not a popular choice, but they are both family names :)**

**Did you guys like Charlie?**

**You guys did pretty well on reviews last chapter! So I REALLY REALLY tried to get this out as soon as possible, but I haven't been feeling well so it was a little bit of a struggle. BUT, this update did come quicker than last time. So that should count for something.**

**I'm feeling better, however, so if you guys do as well reviewing this chapter then I PROMISE to try to give you a speedy update. **

**I am so thankful for all of the support I have received for this story. It blows me away and makes all of the flames worth it. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.**

**The next chapter of My Life As A Trophy Wife has been written for a while, but I put on hold to write this chapter so I could get it out quickly. Trophy Wife will probably be updated next.**

**XXXXXOOOOOOXXXXXXOOOOOOO**

**Jenna**

**Twitter: (at)JennaRayFF **


	27. Burning Desires

**A/N: I don't own anything related to **_**Twilight**_**. Plot ideas are original and my own, but character names are not. Don't steal my story and post it as your own, people. If you do, I will stalk and harass your douchebag ass until you take it down.**

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**EPOV**

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"Hmm. I would imagine that having a kid would be such a cockblock that it would put a major damper on things." Jasper said before taking a sip of his beer.

"No. Bella is seriously horny all the time. I love it. I mean, sometimes she has a bigger sex drive than I do. She wants it all the time. She can't get enough of me." I answered with a smirk.

"Lucky you, dude." Emmett said with a big grin.

The three of us were having a beer at Jasper's house for our monthly guy's night. Bella was at my house with Chelsea. I felt a little pathetic for missing her so much. I was with her far more than Emmett and Jasper, and then when I _was_ with them I couldn't stop thinking about her. That girl had completely consumed me…heart, body, and soul.

"Lucky doesn't even begin to cover it, man." I answered. "Get a load of this. Bella actually _likes_ giving me head. I mean she actually _wants _to do it."

"Yeah, but how do you find time for sex when you guys are always with Chelsea?" Jasper asked.

"Well it's been harder since I haven't been talking to my mom and Chelsea hasn't been with her at all, but we find time. I mean, Chelsea takes naps during the day sometimes and she goes to bed at the latest like eight. So there's plenty of time for sex after she goes to sleep and sometimes in the morning if we wake up before her. Or even if she's awake in the morning we can put the T.V. on for her and then fool around in the shower together. Bella gets so horny sometimes she even wakes me up in the middle because she wants me to fuck her."

"You really are a lucky son of a bitch." Jasper said, laughing.

"Do you guys think it's messed up for us to just sit around and share details about our sex lives?" Emmett asked with a thoughtful look. "I mean, do you think that your girlfriends would be pissed off if they knew you were dishing dirty details right now?"

I took a slow sip of beer as I considered that. I'd never really thought about if Bella would be mad that I talked about our sex life with Emmett and Jasper. It just seemed like a natural thing for us to do as men.

"Hello no" Jasper answered. "They talk about sex all the time!"

"Who? Bella and Alice?" I asked, intrigued.

"Yeah, dude…all the time."

"How do you know?"

"Because Alice tells me" He said with a shrug.

"I wonder what Bella says about me." I said thoughtfully as I took a sip of beer and leaned back in my chair, putting one arm behind my head.

"She told Alice that she wants you to tie her up and pee on her."

My eyes widened and I choked on the beer that I had been swallowing at the moment.

"What the fuck?" I heard Emmett mumble.

"_What?_" I asked once I had caught my breath.

He was only able to keep a straight face for another couple seconds before he started cracking up laughing.

"I'm joking, I'm joking." He assured me. "I have no idea what they talk about."

"If he had been able to keep that going with a straight face, would you have believed him?" Emmett asked.

"No, definitely not once it sunk in and I really thought about. Bella wouldn't be into that."

"You never know." Jasper said, still laughing. "If she's so horny then maybe she's into kinky stuff like that."

"That's not kinky, that's fucked up." I said, laughing as I brought my beer bottle back up to my lips.

"Can we please change the subject?" Emmett asked. "I need to get the visual of Edward peeing on Bella out of my mind."

"Ugh, sick, dude. Now _I'm_ imagining it." Jasper said with a disgusted expression.

"You're the one who brought it up." Emmett responded.

"Okay, I've got a subject change." I said. "Have you had any luck with Rosalie, Em?" I asked casually.

"Kind of, but I don't really know what to make of it." He answered thoughtfully.

"What do you mean? I asked.

"Well…she finally said that she would let me take her out. But she said that I have to wait three weeks."

"Why do you have to wait three weeks?" Jasper asked. "That's weird."

I was pretty sure the reason was because Rosalie wanted to get some of her therapy done before she went out with him, but I didn't say anything. I still wasn't telling anyone that Rosalie and I had that personal discussion.

"She said that her weeks are too busy with work and her weekends are all full until three weeks from now."

"That's weird, dude. Maybe she's just really not into you." Jasper suggested.

"No, I'm sure that's not it." I interjected. "Why would she agree to going out three weeks from now if she just wasn't into him? She would just say no, right?"

"I guess." Jasper said with a shrug. "It's still weird though."

"Well I agree with Edward. At least, that's what I'm counting on. I don't know why she would say yes if she didn't want to go out with me."

"Yeah, I guess." Jasper answered. "So let's go back to what you said earlier, Edward. You're still not talking to your mom?"

"No, not until she apologizes for the way she talked about Bella. I'm not just going to sit back and let her speak about my girlfriend like that when the things she said weren't even true and she was in the wrong to begin with. I told her not to walk into my house unannounced and she did it anyway. And besides, what she saw us doing wasn't a bad thing. We're adults and we're in a relationship. She needs to accept that."

"Yeah, you're right. She should apologize." Jasper agreed.

"Wait, what did she walk in on?" Emmett asked. "All you told me was that she was talking shit about Bella. I didn't know she walked in on anything."

"She walked in while I was going down on Bella." I answered and then took a sip of beer.

"Oh shit…that's awkward. How did Bella react?"

"She was really embarrassed at first but I calmed her down. I just had to remind her that we weren't doing anything wrong."

"I don't know why your mom doesn't like Bella. I like her. I mean, obviously she makes you happy. Isn't that all that matters?"

"Yeah but…I don't know. My mom is just stuck up I guess."

"Do you think she'll ever come around?"

"She will if she wants to continue having a relationship with her granddaughter. She's entitled to her own opinion about Bella, but she's not entitled to vocalize them to me in my own home. She's not going to disrespect my girlfriend to her face or behind her back."

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On Tuesday morning, I got my phone call regarding my bone marrow test. Discouragingly, I wasn't a match for Nathan. After hanging up the phone, I just stood there for a little while feeling down about it. I tried to think about what would make me feel better and the answer was easy. My girls could make me feel better in any situation. Chelsea was at preschool for the first half of the day, so I decided to call Bella. I picked up my phone again and pressed her speed dial number.

"Hello?" She answered in a quiet, raspy voice.

"Hey, did I wake you up?" I asked, glancing at the clock.

It was eleven O'clock. Bella wasn't a morning person, but that was late for even her to sleep.

"Yeah"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't think you'd still be asleep. Did you not have class this morning?"

"I did but I only have one class on Tuesday's and my teacher cancelled it."

"Oh, okay. Well, do you want me to let you go so you can go back to sleep?"

"No, I need to get up. I woke up at like nine, but I was so tired I went back to sleep."

"What time did you go to bed last night?"

"I don't know, like ten."

I was surprised to hear that she slept for thirteen hours, but I didn't say anything because I didn't want her to think that I was nagging her or something.

"So, I got my test results back." I told her.

"Oh, really?" She asked, sounding much more enthused now. "Good news or bad news?"

"Bad news, I'm not a match."

"Aw, baby, I'm sorry."

"Thanks. I was just calling to see if you wanted to come over, or I could go over there if you want. I just really want to be with you."

"Come over here? Don't you have Chelsea with you?"

"No, she's at preschool."

"Oh, right. I forgot for a second that it's Tuesday. Yeah, if you want to come over here and leave now then I'll be out of the shower when you get here."

"Alright. I'll leave now then."

"Okay. See you soon. Love you."

"Love you too."

When I got to Bella's apartment I knew she had literally just gotten out of the shower because she answered the door in a towel.

"Hi, handsome" She greeted me.

"Hey." I said as I walked in.

She closed the door behind me and turned to walk back towards her bedroom. I followed behind her and then closed her bedroom door behind me once we were inside. She unwrapped the towel from around her body and started using it to dry her hair as if putting her hot body on display right in front of me was no big deal. As I stood there raking my eyes up and down her naked form she stood there watching the T.V, oblivious to me ogling her. When she finally did look over at me, she didn't seem to understand why I was standing there staring at her.

"What?" She asked.

I laughed and walked over to kiss her lips quickly.

"I love how comfortable you are being naked in front of me."

"It's not like you haven't seen it before." She said, laughing softly.

"I know. But I'll never get accustomed to how sexy you are." I said, wrapping my arms around her waist to squeeze her ass.

"Are you not comfortable being naked in front of me in a non sexual way?"

"No, I am. I'll get naked for you right now if you want."

She rolled her eyes and kissed me again before leaving my arms and walking off to her bathroom. I kicked off my shoes and then went to lie on her bed. I put my hands up behind my head and looked at the T.V. She had on some show about people with a hoarding problem that seemed interesting enough for me not to get up and look for the remote. Bella stayed in the bathroom for a few minutes while I watched the T.V., half way paying attention. When she reemerged, her hair was partially blown dry and she was wearing a pair of white cotton panties.

"Mm…I like those." I said, smiling at her panties.

Some may have considered them boring, but they were classic and they made her ass look even more fantastic than it usually did.

"Are you serious? These are my period panties." She said, laughing.

"Are you on your period?"

"No, but it should be this week so I want to be prepared. I know I'm either going to get it today or tomorrow."

"How do you know it will be today or tomorrow?" I asked curiously.

I always wondered how women were so attuned to their bodies.

"Because of my boobs" She answered matter-of-factly.

"Your boobs?" I asked, raising my eyebrows at her.

"Yeah, my boobs. I don't really get cramps like most people do, but the day I get my period I can always tell because of my boobs."

"What about them?"

"Well, usually they get sore. This time it's just my nipples."

"Your nipples are sore?" I asked.

I could feel myself making an unpleasant face. Sore nipples and monthly bleeding did not sound pleasant at all. I was so glad I was not born a girl.

"No, not sore…just kind of sensitive."

"Sensitive?" I asked, raising my eyebrows at her again.

That got my attention. Sensitive nipples could hold a lot of fun possibilities in bed…

"Yes, sensitive. Do you have a problem with that?" She asked, laughing.

"Not at all, but how did you discover that your nipples were extra sensitive? Was my girl playing with her own nipples?" I asked, half joking.

"No." She said defensively, blushing. "I noticed it in the shower when the water hit them."

"Ah, I see." I said, smirking at her.

"Stop trying to make fun of me…" She mumbled, walking into her closet.

"Hey, bring those sensitive nipples back out here and come lay with me." I called to her.

She came back out of her closet a moment later wearing a big T shirt long enough so that the white cotton panties just barely peaked out from under it. When she came over to the bed I scooted over to make room for her, but apparently I didn't need to. She got up onto the bed on her knees, swung one leg over my waist so she was straddling me, and then laid down right on top of me with her head on my chest. I laughed and lifted my hand to rub up and down her back as I kissed her forehead.

"You are so cute." I mumbled against her head.

She slid up my body until her head was nuzzled into the crook of my neck.

"I'm sorry that you weren't a match for Nathan." She said quietly.

I knew that she wasn't trying to make me sad by saying that, but hearing it brought back my solemn mood.

"Me too. I was really hoping that I could help him."

"I know. But you've been helping him in another way. I'm sure it helps when you and Chelsea go visit."

"Yeah, well, I wish I could help more."

"Have you told his mom yet?"

"No. I was going to call but then I thought maybe I would rather tell her in person."

"When are you going to do that?"

"Today I guess. I'm sure she's just as anxious to get the results as I was, if not more. And I'm not working today so I guess it's a good time to go."

"Yeah, good point. I'm sure she's anxious to hear from you."

"Do you want to go with me?" I asked, playing with a strand of her hair.

"Do you want me to?" She asked, tilting her head to look up at me.

"Yes." I said honestly with a nod. I had wanted her to meet Nathan for a while.

"Okay. Then I'll go."

"Okay. Chelsea gets out of preschool in an hour. We can go pick her up and go straight from there."

"Alright" She agreed and then kissed my neck softly.

"Thank you."

I picked up a blanket and covered us with it. Bella hummed and nuzzled her face against me.

"You're so comfortable." She whispered.

I smiled and slipped my hand under her shirt to rest it on her bare back.

"Glad I make a good pillow for you."

"You do."

I heard the front door open and close and then a moment later there was a soft knock on Bella's door.

"Bella?" Rosalie's voice asked.

"Yeah? You can come in." Bella answered.

Rosalie opened the door and walked in, but did a double take when she saw us. I guess Bella being on top of me under the blanket didn't look as innocent as it really was.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't know Edward was here."

"No, it's okay. We weren't doing anything." Bella said, sliding off of me to lie next to me instead.

"Oh, okay. I just wanted to know if you wanted to go out with me and Evan tonight. Jasper and Alice are going, too. And Evan is bringing some of his other friends."

"Oh, um…" Bella turned to look at me hesitantly. We didn't have any official plans for that night and I didn't want her to feel obligated to hang out with me.

"You can go if you want." I assured her.

"Well, I would want you to go too."

"I can't, babe. I don't have a sitter for Chelsea and I'm still not talking to my mom. But don't stay in just on my account. If you want to go out, you should go out."

Sometimes I worried that Bella was limiting her social life because of me. I was a thirty year old man with a kid, not exactly the club-going type. I had been there done that, anyway. But Bella was eighteen and in her first year of college. I knew that she enjoyed going out, but she didn't do it very often because she usually stayed home with me. I didn't want her to ever feel like I was holding her back from experiencing life. I tried to make a conscious effort to let her know that I wouldn't be mad at her for going out with her friends when she wanted to.

Bella looked at me for another moment and then bit her lip and turned back to Rosalie.

"I don't know, maybe. I'll let you know later today."

"Okay, sure, just wanted to let you know that you're invited. Evan says he misses you."

I felt a little guilty when I heard that her friends missed her. I mean, it was understandable. I didn't want Bella to neglect her friends because of our relationship.

"You should go, baby. You have the whole day to spend with me and Chels and then tonight you can see her friends."

She smiled at me and her face changed into expression of something that resembled relief. Did she think that I would be upset if she went? Maybe I should encourage her to see her friends more.

"Well I _do_ have a new dress I've wanted to wear to the club." Bella said, turning back to Rosalie.

"That's my girl." Rosalie said, smiling widely. "We're gonna pregame with margaritas here at like nine and then leave about eleven."

"Okay, sounds good." Bella answered.

"Alright, well I'll leave you two back to whatever it is you were doing." Rosalie replied, laughing.

"Wait." I said, moving to get up. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" I asked Rosalie.

"Um…okay." She said hesitantly, glancing at Bella.

I looked over at Bella as well who was looking at me, confused. I smiled at her reassuringly and leaned over to kiss her.

"You can't listen because it's about your birthday party." I told her.

Her face quickly changed into an excited smile.

"Well in that case, take all the time you need."

I laughed and stood up.

"Get dressed so we can go get Chelsea."

"Okay."

Rosalie and I left Bella's room and went into hers. She closed the door behind us and went to sit on her bed. I went and sat in her desk chair.

"Okay, so this isn't really about her party." I said, speaking softly enough that Bella wouldn't overhear me but loud enough that Rosalie could. "It's about her gift. I have no idea what to get her. I got her jewelry for Christmas, so I don't really want to do that again so soon. But it's her birthday and it's the first one we're spending together, so I want to do something really nice."

"Oh!" Rosalie said excitedly, pulling her pillow into her lap. "I know what you can get her! I'm giving her concert tickets, but I had two back up plans in case they were sold out."

"Okay, good." I said, glad that she had an idea I might be able to use.

"Well as you probably know, she's in love with her car."

"Yeah, I know." I said, laughing.

"And I happen to know that she really, really wants two things done to it. So you could take your pick, or you could do both. You know that, like, hollow Mustang logo that goes along the very back of the car?"

"Yeah" I said, nodding.

"Well she wants to get that colored in with hot pink. She's been saving up for it. She thinks it would look really good with the rest of the car being white."

"So she told you she wants that done?" I asked for confirmation.

"Yeah. And she also wants to get a new head unit because her stereo is broken. There's a CD stuck in it so she can only use the radio."

"Do you think she would be happy if I did that for her, or do you think she would want something more romantic?" I asked.

"No, I think she would like it. The jewelry you gave her for Christmas was really sweet and what she got you wasn't romantic, it was fun. Like this would be fun. You don't have to be romantic all the time."

"Yeah, you're right." I said, nodding. "I think that's what I'm gonna do, then. Because I know she'll like it. I just have to think of a way to get her car from her so I can get it done."

"Which one are you gonna do?"

"I think I'm gonna do both because I don't think getting the logo painted will cost very much."

"Yeah, probably not"

"Well, thanks for the idea."

"Sure, not problem. Are we still on for her party at your house?"

"Yeah, definitely"

"Okay, good."

"And um, while we're alone…have you seen that therapist yet? I'm just curious."

"Yeah, I had my first appointment yesterday." She said with a smile. "it was mostly just an introduction session, but I really liked that doctor."

"Good, I'm glad." I said, smiling back at her. "I should get back to Bella. We've got to go pick up my daughter soon."

"Alright, I'll see you later."

"Yeah, thanks for the gift idea."

"You're welcome."

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Chelsea was thrilled to see that I had Bella with me when I came to get her from preschool. When we walked in her face lit up at the sight of Bella and she launched herself into her arms without even bothering to look at me. Bella laughed and picked her up as she kissed her cheek. When she pulled back Chelsea just stared at her, smiling.

"Did you have a good day at preschool?" Bella asked her.

"Yes!" Chelsea answered enthusiastically. "I didn't know you were going to come to get me."

"I came just so I could see you! " Bella told her.

Finally, Chelsea looked over at me.

"Hi, Daddy" She said to me with a sweet smile.

"Well, hello there." I said, leaning in to kiss her. "I'm glad you finally made time to greet me."

"Well who is this, Miss Chelsea?" One of Chelsea's teachers said as she walked over to us with Chelsea's stuff.

Chelsea's preschool class had two teachers and they had just recently acquired a student teacher. Bella had dropped her off and picked her up from preschool before, but not since the new student teacher had started.

"This is my Bella!" Chelsea answered, putting her hand flat against Bella's chest.

"_Your_ Bella?" I asked, laughing as I took Chelsea's stuff from the teacher.

"She's Daddy's girlfriend." Chelsea explained.

"Ah, I see. So this is the famous Bella." The teacher said with a nod. "I'm Kelly, the student teacher here. It's nice to meet you." She said, extending her hand to Bella. "Chelsea talks about you all the time."

Bella face lit up when the teacher told her that Chelsea talked about her a lot. She glanced at Chelsea with a smile and then shifted to balance her on one hip in one arm so she could shake the teacher's hand.

"It's nice to meet you too." She answered.

"Adam, don't color on him!" The teacher suddenly yelled as her attention was diverted elsewhere. She ran off towards whoever she had been yelling at, leaving Bella and I alone with Chelsea again.

"Are you ready to go, princess?" I asked Chelsea. "We're going to go see Nathan and Lauren."

"Is Bella going to go with us?"

"Yup, I sure am." Bella answered.

"Okay." Chelsea said happily.

Bella carried Chelsea while I carried her stuff. We stopped in the doorway so I could sign the sign out sheet that verified I was leaving with Chelsea and then we made our way back out to the car. On our way to the children's hospital, Bella and I listened to Chelsea ramble about everything she had done that morning. It was sweet how interested Bella made herself sound in the small, irrelevant aspects of preschool that probably seemed like a big deal to Chelsea.

As we entered the hospital Chelsea walked between Bella and I, holding one of our hands in each of her own. As we rode in the elevator, she kept doing this thing where she would jump up and then put all of her weight on my and Bella's hands as she swung back and forth. It was kind of annoying to have to keep flexing all of the muscles in my arm to support her weight, but it was worth it to see how much enjoyment she got out of it.

"Is she hurting your arm, babe?" I asked Bella, wanting to know if I should tell Chelsea to stop.

"No, she's fine." Bella assured me as she looked down between us with a smile, watching Chelsea giggle uncontrollably.

The hallway on Nathan's floor was too crowded for the three of us to walk in a row, so I moved in front to lead the way while Bella continued holding Chelsea's hand. When we got to Nathan's door I stopped and knocked on it gently. I always knocked versus just walking in because I never knew what would be happening on the other side of the door. If Nathan were sleeping or getting tests done, I didn't want to disturb him. After a few moments the door slowly inched open and Lauren's face peered through the crack. A small smile spread across her lips when she saw me. She opened the door, hurried out into the hall, and then closed it behind her.

"Hey, Edward!" She said cheerfully. "Nathan's sleeping."

"Oh, that's too bad." I said, disappointed. "I was looking forward to seeing him."

"Well he may wake up in a few minutes, who knows." She said, her eyes darting over to Bella curiously.

"Oh, uh, Lauren…this is my girlfriend, Bella." I said, gesturing to her. "I brought her along because I really wanted her to meet Nathan."

"Oh, you didn't tell me that you had a girlfriend." Lauren said. She sounded surprised, but her tone remained completely polite and friendly.

Bella's eyes snapped over to me and a trace of a hurt expression crossed her face. Apparently she was upset that I hadn't told Lauren about her, but it wasn't intentional.

"I didn't?" I asked in response to Lauren's statement, surprised that it hadn't come up in conversation.

"No, but it's nice to meet you." Lauren said, smiling and extending her hand to Bella.

Bella turned her eyes back to Lauren and returned the smile as she shook her hand.

"It's nice to meet you too." She said in an equally friendly tone. "I guess Edward hasn't mentioned me, but I've heard a lot of great things about you and your son."

I kept my eyes locked on Bella, hoping to catch eye contact with her to gauge what she was thinking, but she kept her eyes on Lauren.

"And hello, miss Chelsea!" Lauren said, crouching down to hug Chelsea.

As soon as Lauren's attention was off of her, Bella pulled her phone out of her pocket and started messing with it. I wondered if she were actually texting somebody or if she was just trying to avoid looking at me.

"Can I see Nathan?" Chelsea asked Lauren as they pulled apart from their hug.

"Well, he's sleeping right now. But _Monsters Inc._ is playing on the T.V. in his room. I'd like to talk your Daddy about something that you would probably find really boring, so if you want to you can go sit in there and watch it. But you have to be real quiet do Nathan can get his rest."

"Okay. I can be quiet." Chelsea said, smiling at her.

"I'll go sit with her to make sure she doesn't touch anything." Bella said, looking up from her phone.

"Thank you." Lauren said, giving her a bright smile.

"Come on, Chels." Bella said, grabbing her hand again.

They quietly entered the room, closing the door behind them, so that Lauren and I were alone.

"I hope I didn't just cause a problem." Lauren said quickly, giving me an apologetic look. "I should have thought before speaking when I said you'd never mentioned your girlfriend before. I was just caught off guard, but I know that's not something any girl likes to hear."

"I'm sure it's fine." I assured her, hoping I was right. "And it's my fault, anyway. I should have mentioned her. I didn't realize that I hadn't."

"Well, I know you were expecting your test results back today. Is that the reason for your visit?" She asked, looking anxious.

I felt my face drop at the mention of my test results. I couldn't help it.

"Yeah, I got them back." I said solemnly.

"I'm judging by your expression that it's bad news?" She asked, sounding beyond disappointed.

"I'm sorry. I was really hoping that I would be a match."

She gave me a small smile and nodded as if it weren't a big deal, but the tears that flooded her eyes gave her real feelings away and broke my heart. Without thinking twice about it, I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around her in a tight hug. It wasn't any type of romantic gesture in the least. The woman had just been told that someone who could potentially save her son's life wasn't going to be able to do that…she needed comfort.

Lauren wrapped her arms around me in return as I hugged her and let her face fall against my chest, crying into my shirt. I rubbed her back up and down with my hand while I tried to think of something to say. What _was_ there to say in that situation?

"I still really appreciate you getting tested regardless." She mumbled against my chest.

"I didn't even think twice about it." I answered; continuing to rub her back in what I hoped was a comforting gesture.

We stood there for a few moments in silence until the door to Nathan's room slowly opened behind Lauren and Bella peeked through it. She did a double take as she took in the appearance of Lauren and I standing there embracing and I had one of those 'oh shit, this doesn't look good' moments. Lauren had her back to the door so she couldn't see Bella, but I could see her over Lauren's head.

I momentarily thought about what to do as Bella and I just stood there staring at each other, but quickly realized there was nothing to think about. I felt bad that Bella had happened to open the door at that particular moment, but I wasn't going to push Lauren away or anything. She was in a heart breaking situation and she needed to be comforted. Everyone was in need of a hug once in a while. If Bella got the wrong impression of what was going on, I would just have to clear it up with her later.

"Um, I just wanted to let you guys know that Nathan's awake." Bella said in a small voice.

When Lauren heard Bella speaking she let go of me and turned around to face her while I dropped my arms down to my side.

"Oh, okay. Thanks." Lauren said, sniffling as she started wiping at her face.

"No problem." Bella mumbled and then turned and walked back into the room, leaving the door cracked.

"I'm going to go to the restroom and clean myself up a little." Lauren said to me. "I don't want Nathan to see me all upset."

"Okay, sure." I answered.

Lauren walked passed me in the direction of the restroom and I went to enter Nathan's room. Bella was sitting in a chair that had been pulled up to Nathan's bed and had Chelsea perched on her lap. Chelsea and Nathan were talking and laughing amongst themselves while Bella looked off to the side, staring at all the machines Nathan was hooked up to with a strange expression on her face.

There was one other empty chair in the room, but I decided to remain standing in case Lauren wanted it.

"Hey, buddy." I said, walking over to the end of Nathan's bed. "Did you have a good nap?"

"Yeah, the nurses brought me new pillows." He said, looking up at me with a weak smile.

"Yeah? Are they more comfortable than the old ones?"

"Yes."

"Well, good."

"Daddy, Nathan still has the tiger we brought him!" Chelsea said to me excitedly.

I glanced over at the stuffed tiger, which was indeed nestled into his side, and smiled. Lauren walked back in only a moment later, her face pretty well cleaned up. She went straight over to Nathan's bed and kissed his head.

"Hey, sleepy head. Wasn't that nice of Edward and Chelsea to come see you?"

"Yes."

"Did you get to meet Bella?"

"Yeah, she's pretty." He said with a smile, making all three of us adults laugh.

"How long have you guys been together?" Lauren asked as she tucked some blankets up around Nathan, looking at Bella.

"Just a few months" Bella answered, idly playing with one of Chelsea's curls.

"So what do you do?" Lauren asked, moving to take a seat in the free chair.

"I'm a student at the university."

"Oh, really? What do you study?"

"Early childhood education" Bella answered.

"Oh, that's wonderful! I'm sure children will be a joy to work with. I guess you and Edward have that in common, huh? I mean, since he works with kids too."

"Yeah, kids are great." Bella said, nodding.

"You've got yourself a good catch here with Edward." Lauren said, looking over at me and smiling. "Nathan and I both adore him."

I returned Lauren's smile with a small, polite one of my own and then turned to look at Bella. She was looking at Lauren but I couldn't identify the expression on her face. Then suddenly she stood up, moving Chelsea off of her lap and setting her down in the chair.

"I'm gonna go the restroom real quick." She announced.

"Hold on. I want to talk to you." I said. "Lauren, do you mind if I leave Chelsea in here with you for a minute?"

"Sure, that's fine." She answered.

"Thanks."

I turned around to open the door. Bella walked out of the room first and then I followed behind her and reclosed the door behind me. She went and stood with her back against the wall and her arms folded over her chest. I didn't like her position. It seemed defensive or standoffish, and she had no reason to be acting like that. I stepped towards her and pulled her arms away from her chest. I took her hands in mine and kissed each of them before interlacing our fingers and letting our hands hang down between us.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

She shook her head and shrugged.

"Nothing's wrong."

"Then why are you acting weird?"

"I'm not acting weird."

"Yes you are. Is it because I didn't tell Lauren about you?"

"No. I don't know why I never came up, but I'm not upset with you about it. I can't get mad at you just because you don't talk about me."

She said she wasn't upset, but I didn't know if she really meant it or not. One thing I had learned in my thirty years of life was that you could not trust that a woman was not upset just because she said so. On the contrary, it often meant the opposite. So, I decided to be safe and apologize anyway.

"I love you. And I'm sorry I didn't tell Lauren about you. It honestly was not intentional. If I didn't want her to know that I had a girlfriend then I wouldn't have brought you here today."

She sighed and tugged on my hands until I took a step forward, closer to her. Our lower bodies were then flush against each other but she was still leaning back against the wall so there was some distance between our upper bodies.

"I know it wasn't on purpose. And I'm really not mad. I mean it."

I nodded and leaned forward to kiss her forehead.

"Did you get upset when you walked out and saw us hugging?"

"No." She answered, sounding sincere enough for me to believe her. "I'll admit I was a little caught off guard when I first walked out, but then I remembered what it was you guys were probably talking about and it made sense that you would be hugging."

I nodded again and turned my head to kiss her temple.

"Yeah. She was pretty upset about my test results."

"Understandably. The only thing that bothered me was the way she looked at you in the room."

"What do you mean?" I asked, pulling back to look at her face.

"When she said that you were a catch and that she adored you, I didn't like the way she looked at you." She said with a little pout.

I had to smile just because Bella being jealous and possessive of me was beyond adorable.

"I don't think she was trying to hit on me in front of you, baby." I said, releasing both of her hands and lifting mine to smooth her hair away from her face.

"Well regardless, I didn't like it. She thinks you're hot, I can tell."

"Well who can blame her?" I teased, smirking down at her.

Her eyes shot daggers as she looked up at me, but a small smile formed at her lips.

"That's not funny." She said, halfheartedly pushing against my chest.

I laughed and took her hands again; lifting her arms up and wrapping them around my neck as I leaned down to touch my forehead to hers.

"I don't care if she thinks I'm hot." I told her in a whisper. "I'm _yours._"

"Damn right you are." She said, smiling.

"Glad we got that settled. Now let's go back in there."

"Wait, I still have to pee. And there's something else I wanted to tell you."

"What?"

"I want to get tested for Nathan."

"You do?" I asked, surprised.

I hadn't thought twice about getting myself tested, but I hadn't even considered that Bella might want to do the same.

"Yeah. It broke my heart to see that little boy hooked up to all those machines. And there's no reason for me to not get tested. If I could potentially save somebody's life, then why wouldn't I?"

I smiled and kissed her lips softly and slowly.

"I love you. Hurry up and use the bathroom so we can go tell Lauren."

She leaned up on her tip toes to kiss me again quickly.

"Okay. I love you too."

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**BPOV**

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When Edward and I went home that afternoon after visiting Nathan, the first thing we did was make me an appointment at the hospital to get tested for bone marrow compatibility. We spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out with Chelsea and then we all had dinner together before I had to leave to go meet Evan and Rosalie at my apartment and get ready to go out. I had a good time at the bar with my friends, but it wasn't the same as it used to be.

I missed Edward.

The next day I spent the night at his house because he had to leave early the next morning for work and it was just easier than waking up at five thirty in the morning to go over there. We watched a movie after putting Chelsea to bed, but then we went to bed pretty early ourselves so that Edward could get enough sleep to get up for work. I slept for about four hours, but then woke up at three thirty in the morning and couldn't fall back asleep.

I sighed and rolled over to face Edward. He was on his back with his arms splayed out at his sides and his head turned towards me. His face looked so peaceful and his lips formed a perfect pout. I let my eyes travel down his body to his stomach. The sheet was pulled up only to his hips, so I had a perfect view of his defined chest and abs. I stared at his abs for while before my attention was caught by his hand lying on the bed next to his hip. I admired his long, slender fingers and the way the defined tendons ran up into his wrist. I reached out and ran my fingertip up his middle finger. His hand twitched, but he didn't move other than that.

I ran my eyes from his hand up the rest of his arm. I ogled at the defined muscles in his forearm and the even more defined muscles in his bicep. My visual assent continued up his large shoulder muscles and then up his deliciously inviting neck to his face. I took my time noticing all of his extraordinary features such as his strong, prominent jaw and his long, straight nose. I looked at his long, dark eyelashes and wished that I could see the stunning green irises that I knew were just behind his closed eyelids.

Suddenly, I was overcome with an overwhelming need for this man…this man that I had, by some miracle, all to myself.

I couldn't explain my sudden craving for Edward. All I knew was that I wanted him. No, needed him. It didn't matter to me in what way, I just needed to be as close to him as I could get.

I scooted over a little closer to him and reached out to run my fingers through his soft hair. He stirred a little and sighed in his sleep, but remained unconscious. With every second that ticked by, my need for him grew more and more desperate until it was almost too much to handle.

I needed to _feel_ him.

I needed to be _enveloped_ by him.

I needed to be completely _consumed_ by him.

I scooted closer again and lowered my hand from his hair to rub back and forth over his abs. He made another sighing sound that sounded more conscious this time, making me wonder if he was awake.

"Baby?" I asked in a whisper.

He made a humming sound that made me think he was probably half awake. I took his hand in mine and brought it up to my lips. Keeping my eyes on his to see if they opened, I started placing open mouthed kisses all over his palm. When his eyes finally did start to flutter open, I let go of his hand and moved to curl into his side. I kissed his cheek and ran my fingers through his hair again. His eyes focused on me with a disoriented and confused look.

"Hey, baby girl." He said, brushing my hair out of my face and glancing at the clock. "Is something wrong?"

"No." I whispered, shaking my head and then lowering it to kiss his jaw.

"Then why are you waking me up? It's three thirty in the morning."

"I know."

I lowered my head further to kiss the place on his throat that I always did when I wanted sex. He hummed and put his hand on my hip. I kissed a trail from his throat over to the side of his neck and up to his earlobe. I nibbled, nipped, and flicked my tongue on it. He groaned and shifted a little under me.

"Bella, baby, its three thirty in the morning. I have to be up for work in two hours."

"Please?" I begged. "I want you so bad."

"Babe, no." He said, shrugging away from me. "I want you, really I do. But I seriously need to sleep."

I sighed and moved off of him, back over to my side of the bed. I couldn't be mad at him, because he was right. He needed to get some sleep so he would have enough energy for work the next day. It was selfish of me to wake him up in the first place. As I nuzzled back into my pillow and tried to get comfortable, Edward threw back his side of the blankets and started to sit up.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"I'm going to the bathroom. I need to pee." He told me, running a hand through his hair.

He reached over to flick on the lamp that sat on his nightstand, making me squint my eyes at the sudden source of light. He stood up with a big yawn and walked off in the direction of the bathroom. I grabbed one of his pillows and pulled it over to me, clutching it tightly to my chest and inhaling his scent from it.

Even though Edward had clearly rejected me, and I understood why, I couldn't shake my yearning for him. A huge tidal wave of desire had washed over me and sucked me in. But it wasn't just physical. I felt a magnetic like pull to Edward in every way. I craved closeness to Edward in every sense of the word.

My undeniable and uncontrollable need for Edward was so intense, in fact, that it was going to come out one way or another. Since I was unsuccessful at releasing my feelings through physical contact with him my body decided on its own accord to release my emotions through tears welling up in my eyes. There weren't enough for the tears to roll out onto my face, but enough to make my eyes swim in water. I knew it was ridiculous to be crying, but for some reason I was feeling emotional and it was getting the best of me.

When Edward returned from the bathroom and started making his way over to the bed, I took one last sniff of his pillow and then put it back where it belonged on his side. As he reached out to turn off the lamp he glanced over at me and his eyes met mine. His face immediately shifted into a look of concern.

"Are you crying?" He asked, obviously taken aback.

"I'm fine." I said dismissively, trying to blink the tears out of my eyes.

He left the lamp on and then got into bed and scooted over until he was in front of me, both of us turned on our sides facing each other. He wrapped his arm securely around my waist, holding me close to him.

"Why are you crying? Did I hurt your feelings?" He asked, looking concerned.

"No, no, it's not that." I said in what I hoped was a reassuring tone. "I know that you need to sleep because you have work in the morning. I shouldn't have woken you up."

"Then what's got you so upset? Are you upset because you woke me up?" He asked, now looking more confused than anything else.

"No. I'm not even upset. I'm just emotional for some reason."

"Emotional about what?"

"You" I said, snuggling closer to him.

"What about me?"

I sighed, not even sure how to go about explaining it to him.

"It's not even about sex. I woke up and just felt this overwhelming need to be close to you."

"If it's not about sex then why did you wake me up? Why didn't you just roll over and cuddle up to me?"

"Because I knew that wouldn't have been close enough. I don't even know how to explain it. I just want you so bad all the sudden." I said, my voice quivering a little. "I wanted you awake so I could try to find some kind of emotional closeness to you and I wanted to have sex with you so I could feel you inside me…physically close. I don't know what my problem is. I just love you so much I can't get enough." I finished, wrapping my free arm around his neck and pressing my body against his in a tight hug.

He hugged me back and combed his fingers through my hair as he did so.

"I'm just trying to figure out where this came from. You usually get this way _after_ sex, not before."

I knew he was referring to my tendency to be extra clingy after sex. He always assured me that he liked it and thought it was cute, but I always worried I was being annoying.

"I'm sorry. I know I'm being annoying. You should go back to sleep. You have to wake up early."

He rolled over, facing away from me, so that he could reach over to turn off the lamp on his night stand. As he reached up I couldn't help but notice all of the muscles in his back flex, but I had to look away quickly if I was going to get a hold of myself. As the light went out I shifted around a little, trying to get comfortable enough to go back to sleep. Edward scooted back over to me and got back into his previous position, wrapping his arms around me again. I wrapped my arms around his neck again; glad that I could at least cuddle with him. I was caught off guard when he grabbed my chin gently and turned my head to meet my lips with his in a searing kiss.

I thought it was just an extra special goodnight kiss, but he quickly took it to another level. He slid his tongue smoothly into my mouth and caressed mine while simultaneously grabbing the back of my knee and lifting my leg up over his hip. Then he slid his hand up from the back of my knee along the back of my thigh and slipped it up the bottom of the panties I was wearing to rub my ass. I left my leg where it was, enjoying his hand where it was, but pulled my lips away from his so I could speak.

"You have to go to sleep, Edward." I said, a little breathless.

"Shh…" He said, turning his head and kissing all over the side of my neck with open mouthed kisses.

"I don't want you to have sex with me just because I asked for it. I don't ever want you to sleep with me out of pity." I protested, although I couldn't help tilt my head to the side to give him better access to my neck.

"You're not the only one who wants it." He said, gripping my ass firmly and pulling my center against his growing erection as proof.

As badly as I wanted him, that's all the convincing I needed. I moaned and ground my hips against his, running my hands over the firm muscles of his back.

"How is it possible that I found a man like you and have you all to myself?" I asked breathlessly as he continued his assault on my neck.

"I ask myself the same question about you every day." He answered between kisses.

He moved his hand out of my panties and then started pulling them down my hips. I wiggled around to help him and then kicked them down off my feet. Once that was taken care of he started pushing the T shirt of his that I was wearing up, signaling that he wanted it off. I pulled away from him momentarily to remove the shirt and he took that time as an opportunity to remove his boxer briefs so he was left completely naked. I wasn't wearing any kind of bra under his shirt, so I was left completely naked as well. As he returned back to his side, facing me, his eyes darted down to my bare breasts momentarily before looking back up to my face.

"Come here, baby girl." He whispered, sending chills down my back as he opened his top arm to me.

I wormed my way back into his arms, the place where I fit perfectly. He lifted my leg up over his hip the way that it was before, his rock hard erection rubbing against my folds as he did so. I wrapped my arm around his neck with my hand resting on the back of his head and pressed myself against him so that we were in a hugging position. My head was positioned with my chin against his shoulder and my cheek against his so that my head rested between his and the pillow. As a result, his lips were located at just the right place to whisper in my ear as his hand rubbed up and down my back.

"I love you so much…you are so beautiful…" He whispered.

I closed my eyes and felt goose bumps break out all over my skin as a response.

"I want you inside me…please…" I answered with a small whimper.

He removed his hand from my back just long enough to reach down between us and align his dick with my entrance. Then he moved his hand back up to my lower back and held me steady as he slowly started to push his length into me, making us both moan loudly.

"God, Bella…you're so fucking wet." He said, still whispering against my ear. "I've never felt you so wet for me before, baby."

He didn't have to tell me that, because I could feel it. I could feel it on the insides of my thighs.

"Yes…only for you… I answered.

The hugging position that we were in felt so intimate, it was exactly what I needed. It was limiting, however, because he didn't really have the leverage to be able to thrust. I don't know how he felt, but the rocking motion that he did instead was fine by me. It caused him to rub continuously right against the spot inside me that sent heat waves through my whole body.

Literally right after he started moving inside me, I already felt close to an orgasm. I was moaning and whimpering and clutching at his back, completely lost in him. He was making soft, barely audible grunting sounds into my ear and I could feel his chest pressed against mine heaving with the ragged breaths he was taking.

"Mm…I love those whining sounds you make for me." He whispered, rubbing his hand back and forth across my lower back.

I kept one hand where it was, clutching his back, and moved the other one up to his hair. When I did, I noticed that both hands were shaking a little.

"You have no idea how good you make me feel." I moaned into his ear.

I loved it when he talked to me during sex, so I wanted to talk back to him in case he felt the same way.

"Mm, come here, baby. I wanna look at your beautiful face." He said.

He moved his hand from my lower back to the back of my neck and gently started to pull his upper body away from mine so that we were just facing each other instead of hugging. He kept his hand at the back up my neck and combed his fingers through the hair there while we shifted to be able to look at each other's faces.

"There's my girl." He said, a smile breaking through the lustful expression on his face.

As soon as my eyes met his, I came. And I didn't just come, I came _hard_. And it was without any real warning either. I knew that I was getting close, but I had no real sign that I was on the direct verge of a powerful orgasm. As I started writhing around in the throes of pleasure in Edward's arms, I could tell by the sudden change in his facial expression that he was caught off guard. He slowed down the pace of his rocking motions a little bit so I could ride out my orgasm and he lifted his head to pepper kisses all over my cheek and neck as I did so.

"Damn, Bella…" He said as I finally started to come down from my high. "What's gotten into you? I can't believe you just came that fast."

"Keep going." I said in a moan as I started to rock my hips against his, wanting him to go faster. "Don't slow down. I want to feel your come in me."

He put his head back down on the pillow so we were once again looking into each other's eyes and picked up the pace of his short rocking motions. He moved his hand down to grip my thigh, holding me steady. It didn't take too much longer for him to reach his own orgasm and when he did, I came a second time. The unusual thing about it, though, was that we were both completely silent through our climaxes. But we continued looking into each other's eyes, and it was beautiful.

Somehow, through the waves of ecstasy rushing through me, I was able to focus on his face. I marveled at the beauty of his jaw clenching and his nostrils flaring as he swallowed hard and his eyebrows furrowed together just slightly. I could also feel the all the muscles in his body tense up in my arms and several hot spurts of his release deep inside me. I felt so connected to him in that moment. It was probably the most intimate sex we'd ever had.

His orgasm lasted a few seconds after mine and as soon as we were done we both started making noise again, gasping for air. Edward made a humming sound and then nuzzled his face into my chest. I stroked his hair and placed gentle kisses on his head while he caressed my back and ass.

I glanced at the clock briefly to see that it was about four thirty. We lay there for about twenty minutes in silence, Edward still inside me, just holding and stroking each other. It was intimate and beautiful and everything that I needed to satiate my need for him…for the moment. When the clock started approaching five O'clock, Edward decided to go ahead and get up to shower since it was almost time for the alarm to go off anyway.

"Come shower with me." Edward requested after pulling out of me.

"I was going to even if you didn't ask." I said, smiling.

"Good, because I don't want to have to make you." He answered with a smirk as he got out of the bed and turned the alarm off before it went off on its own.

I felt disgusting. I was covered in a layer of sweat and had a mixture of my 'girl part' juices and Edward's jizz starting to leak out of me now that he had pulled out.

"Can you get me a towel or something? I'm leaking." I said, laughing a little.

"Just wipe it on the sheet. I need to wash them now anyway. I'm pretty sure I just drenched them. I'm sweating like a fucking pedophile in a playground."

I grabbed the sheet to wipe myself but was very aware of Edward's eyes on me.

"Don't watch me…" I said, looking up at him and blushing.

He laughed and walked off towards the bathroom, shaking his head.

We showered together quickly, keeping things innocent because Edward had to get ready for work. We washed our own bodies, but each other's hair. When Edward washed mine, I stood with my arms around his waist and my forehead against his chest. The hot water spraying down on my body and Edwards hands massaging the shampoo into my scalp felt so relaxing I almost fell asleep. When we got out we threw some underwear on and then worked together to change the sheets on the bed. Once the bed was made I put on one of Edward's clean T shirts and sat on the end of the bed as I watched him move around the room, getting ready.

"Don't you want to go back to sleep?" Edward asked me after a few minutes as he pulled his pants on.

"Yeah" I said sheepishly. "But I feel bad going to bed while you're up getting ready. I feel bad now for waking you up."

He smiled and walked over to the bed to give me a quick kiss.

"Don't feel bad. The amazing sex made up for it." He said with a smirk. "I'll just have to have more coffee than usual today."

I smiled at him weakly and continued watching him as he went back to getting ready. He turned around to get some socks out of his dresser, revealing his strong back muscles to me, and I sat there thankful that he wasn't even upset with me in the slightest for costing him his last two hours of sleep.

"I love you, Edward." I said, kind of randomly.

He looked back over his shoulder to look at me with a smile, but his expression quickly changed into a serious one when he saw the serious look on _my_ face.

"I love you too, babe."

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**A/N:**

**LONGEST CHAPTER EVER! WHEW!**

**This chapter is dedicated to **_**Jhere**_**, a very sweet and consistent reviewer who sent me a very sweet message today :)**

**I **_**know**_** that you guys want to know if Bella is pregnant, but you'll find out very soon. I promise.**

**Everything is going great with the last weeks of my pregnancy, thank you to those who asked. I'm just tired of feeling like a horny whale! Ugh!**

**You guys needed a lemon, because we haven't had one in a few chapters. This particular lemon has to be dedicated to **_**dazzlemebetch**_** who did some brainstorming with me this week. Thank you for all of your great ideas. I hope this lemon played out the way you thought about it when we discussed it!**

**And last but not least…as some of you know, my story was stolen by some douchebag who posted it under the pen name **_**eldub**__**.**_** This was really discouraging and really pissed me off, but I appreciate everyone who messaged me to let me know and everyone who sent that person nasty messages and reviews. **

…**I think that's all :)**

**Jenn**


	28. Bliss

**A/N: **

**I don't own anything related to **_**Twilight**_**.**

**Man, I have missed you guys! I'm sorry for the wait but, as most of you figured out, I had my baby! Thank you for all of the love and support you have given me as I've been adjusting to my new baby. It means a lot. And I hope that this chapter is worth your wait. So enjoy!**

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**EPOV**

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Something wasn't right with Bella. Something was…_off_. I felt like I should have known what it was, but I couldn't put my finger on it. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, just different. But it seemed to come and go in waves.

The following Monday after Bella met Lauren and Nathan, she was tested for bone marrow compatibility. We were expecting to get results back that Thursday, which also happened to be Bella's birthday.

On that Tuesday, before Bella's birthday, I managed to get my hands on her car to have her birthday present done. The shop that I was taking the car to assured me that I would only have to leave it there overnight, so it actually worked out perfectly for me. I had a long shift at the hospital that ran from Tuesday afternoon to Wednesday morning, so I was able to take Bella's car without any question while she kept mine to stay with Chelsea. Jasper met me at the shop I was getting Bella's car worked on at and then gave me a ride to work and picked me up in the morning to take me back to the car. Naturally, Bella didn't suspect a thing. Of course, she was unavoidably going to see the car that day instead of on her _actual_ birthday the next day. So she was just going to have to get her gift a day early.

I got home from work that morning around eleven thirty to find Bella and Chelsea eating lunch in the kitchen. Bella had made homemade baked ravioli, and it smelled fucking delicious.

"Hey!" Bella greeted me enthusiastically as I walked in through the door from the garage.

"Hey, it smells good in here." I answered, going over to kiss her cheek as she ate.

"Hi, Daddy!" Chelsea said through a mouth full of ravioli.

"Don't talk with your mouth full." I said, going to over her.

Her face was pretty much covered in sauce, so I opted to kiss her head instead of going anywhere near it.

"Are you hungry?" Bella asked.

"Starving" I answered honestly.

"Well there's more ravioli. You'll probably have to microwave it, though."

"Okay."

I put my stuff down and then washed my hands and grabbed a plate. I took my plate over to the casserole dish that was still sitting on the stove and dished up a very generous amount of ravioli. Then I popped it in the microwave and went to the refrigerator to grab something to drink while I waited.

"How was work?" Bella asked.

"Exhausting. I just want to go crawl into bed and sleep for the rest of my life." I said glumly.

"Well, cheer up. You can go to sleep as soon as you eat."

"No, I don't want to." I said with a sigh.

"Why not?" She asked, confused.

"Because if I sleep all afternoon then I'll be up all night and then I'll sleep all day tomorrow and I don't want to do that. I want to be awake for every minute of your birthday."

The microwave dinged so I took my plate out and then carried it along with my drink over to the table. I put my food down and sat down in the chair next to Bella's. She put her hand on my thigh, leaned over to kiss my cheek, and then went back to eating her food.

"I got to sleep in your bed with Bella last night." Chelsea said, giving me a proud smile.

"Man, I'm jealous. I wish _I_ could have slept in my bed last night."

"And me and Bella played _Pretty, Pretty Princess!_"

"Oh, man, what a shame I missed out." I said sarcastically even though I knew Chelsea wouldn't pick up on it."

"Hey, that game is fun!" Bella said, slapping my arm playfully. "Don't hate on it."

I stabbed a piece of ravioli with my fork and shoved it into my mouth. Just as I expected, it was every bit as delicious tasting as it smelled.

"Mm. The ravioli is fantastic, babe." I said to Bella after swallowing.

"Thanks." She said, smiling over at me.

I lifted my left hand and put it in her lap, rubbing her thigh. She lifted her left hand as well and used it to grab mine, lacing our fingers together. We left our hands like that as we continued eating. Once we were all done, I asked Chelsea if she wanted to watch an episode of _Dora the Explorer_. I wanted to entertain her with something so I could take Bella out to the driveway alone and show her the car.

"But Bella said we could make cookies after lunch!" Chelsea protested.

"You guys can make cookies when Dora is over. I need to take Bella outside for a couple minutes."

Bella gave me a confused look, but she didn't say anything.

"Okay…" Chelsea said, looking glum.

"We'll be quick." I assured her.

Bella moved all of our dishes from the table to the sink while I set Chelsea up in front of the T.V. and told her to stay in the living room. When I got back into the kitchen, Bella gave me another curious and confused look.

"Why are we going outside?" She asked.

"Because your birthday gift is out there."

Her face broke into a cute, excited smile.

"But my birthday isn't until tomorrow."

"I know. But it's more convenient for me to give it to you now."

"Okay, if you insist." She said, still wearing that bright smile.

"Put your hands over your eyes and close them. I'll guide you out to it."

Bella giggled as she put down the dish towel she had been holding and lifted her hands over her eyes. I Went over to her and put my arm around her waist to guide her. I led her out the door from the kitchen that went into the garage and then past my car to the driveway where I'd parked hers. I walked her to the end of the car and then turned her around so that she was facing the now pink logo that ran along the back of the Mustang. I gently squeezed her with the arm I had around her waist and leaned in to whisper in her ear.

"Open your eyes, baby girl." I whispered to her.

I pulled back to look at her face just as she lowered her hands. When her eyes found and registered the newly painted part of her car, her eyes widened and she squealed in excitement through a huge grin. She stepped closer to the car and bent over to get a better look. When she did that, I of course took the opportunity to check out her gorgeous ass.

"This looks so good!" She squealed.

"There's more." I said, fishing her keys out of my pocket.

"_More_?" She asked, spinning around to look at me.

"Yeah, go get in the driver seat and look." I said, tossing her the keys.

She caught them and wasted no time pressing the unlock button and hurrying over to the driver side door. She opened it and slid down into the seat. It only took about five seconds to hear her scream of excitement.

"OH MY GOD!"

I moved over to the side of the car and watched with a smile. I was most excited about showing Bella the head unit. I'd picked out the best one they had at the store. It was a touch screen and the best part was that I could custom pick the color of the lights. So I picked out the same pink that had been used on the back of the car.

Bella turned on the car to check out the new head unit, but she only looked at it for a couple minutes before getting back out and running over to where I stood. She flung herself at me with her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist. I grunted a little with the force of it, but caught her ass firmly in my hands and supported her weight with no problem.

"Baby! You pimped my car!"

She pecked my lips three times in a row, smiling against my mouth as she did so.

"I'm glad you like it." I said, laughing a little.

"No, I _love_ it! How did you know that I wanted that done?"

"Well I can't take credit for the idea. Somebody tipped me off that you wanted it done."

"Who? Rose?"

"Yeah. I hope it doesn't cheapen the gift or anything that I didn't think of it. I was a little unsure about doing it because I thought you might want something more romantic."

"No, no, it's perfect. I love it. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

She leaned forward and kissed my lips again, softly this time. When she pulled away she left her forehead resting against mine.

"I love you." She whispered.

"I love you too." I said, smiling.

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**BPOV**

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I woke up on my birthday to the feeling of Edward's soft lips laying open mouthed kisses across my bare stomach. I kept my eyes closed as I smiled and stirred but Edward kept me held down against the bed.

"Happy birthday, baby girl." He mumbled against the skin of my stomach.

I sighed in contentment and stretched my arms out above my head, feeling like I was in heaven.

"Happy birthday indeed. This is a very pleasant way to wake up."

I opened my eyes to look up at Edward as he sat up on his knees and started to pull my panties down my hips. He flashed me a glorious smile as he pulled them down past my feet and tossed them on the floor. Then he took my left leg and lifted it up to put my foot up on his shoulder.

"Now I'm a year closer to your age." I said, smiling at him.

"Mhm…for a couple months at least." He said, starting to kiss his way up my calf.

I watched him with a smile on my face as he kissed his way up my calf to the inside of my knee and up my thigh.

"Mm…this is way better than the cliché breakfast in bed thing." I said, thoroughly enjoying myself.

"Well, _one_ of us is going to be eating something in bed this morning." He said suggestively and then continued kissing further up my thigh.

I bit my lip and smiled wider.

"This really _is_ a very pleasant way to wake up. Every one of my birthdays should begin like this."

His lips had now found their way to the outer area of my lower lips. As he continued his kisses there, I let my eyes flutter closed and took a deep breath.

"That can be arranged." He said between kisses.

"What can be arranged?" I asked, completely forgetting about any conversation we might have been having.

"For every one of your birthdays to begin like this"

"Does that mean I can look forward to more birthdays with you?" I asked, widening my legs to give him better access to me.

"Absolutely" He answered in a husky voice.

And then his lips were wrapped around my clit, sucking me into a state of ecstasy. He sucked on it just long enough to get me really worked up and then he released it and gently swirled his tongue around it, easing me back down. When my breathing started settle back down, then he started sucking again. He engaged in this tortuous cycle of teasing me a few times, bringing me to the edge and then slowly bringing me back down. On the fifth time that he released my clit from the suction of his mouth, he surprised me by flicking his tongue rapidly back and forth against it instead of slowly just circling it. This brought on a whole new type of pleasure, and had my toes curling.

"Unh…" I moaned softly. "Yes…"

My hips started to rise up and down on their own accord, looking for more friction, but Edward quickly stopped that. He swung one arm over my hips so that his forearm was flat against my lower abdomen, holding me down. I moaned loudly and moved one hand to grip his forearm, digging my nails into his skin as a way to expel some of the energy that was surging through me. He started sucking on my clit again forcefully, upping the volume of my moaning. I opened my eyes and looked down at him. The sight of him eating me out brought my pleasure to a whole new level.

"Ah…Edward…I love you so much…"

He shifted his eyes up to look at me, meeting my own eyes, and the intensity that I saw in them sent me into a powerful orgasm.

"AH!" I moaned loudly, digging my nails into his arm harder. "Yes! Edward! Oh God…I'm coming…"

He moaned against me as he kept sucking and that only made my orgasm more intense. As I started to come back down his sucking became gentler and gentler. Then he stopped sucking altogether and just languidly ran his tongue back and forth over my clit.

"Thank you." I said breathlessly as he moved up to kiss all over my stomach again.

"You are _very_ welcome." He said with a smile.

"Let me take care of you now." I said, running my fingers through his hair.

"No. That was all for you, my beautiful birthday girl."

He rolled off of me over to his side of the bed and then reached into the drawer of his nightstand to retrieve something. When he turned back to me I saw that it was a pink envelope. He placed it on my stomach and then settled himself on his side, facing me with his head propped up in his hand.

"What's this?" I asked, smiling over at him.

"It's your birthday card. I was going to give it to you when I showed you your gift, but I thought it would be nice to save something for today."

"Can I go clean up my, uh, situation first?" I asked, gesturing down to my still naked lower body.

"Sure." He said, brushing my bottom lip with his thumb.

"I'll be right back." I promised, putting my birthday card down on the bed next to me.

I got up off the bed and went over to Edward's dresser to retrieve some clean panties out of the drawer that Edward had specifically cleared out for me to keep some of my stuff in for when I slept over. Then I went and used the bathroom, cleaning up the sticky situation I had going on as I did so. When I was done I put on the clean panties and then went back out to the main part of the bathroom to find Edward standing at his sink, brushing his teeth. I decided I should go ahead and take that time to do the same. Edward finished right as I started brushing my own teeth, so he stood behind me with his arms around my waist and kissed my neck as I did so. When I was done we went back to bed and cuddled up together so I could read my card. Edwards sat up with his back against the headboard and his arm around me while I cuddled into his side.

The outside of the envelope had my name written on it in Edward's slanted, cursive handwriting. I tore open the pink envelope and pulled the card out with an excited smile on my face. The front of the card had a pink rose on it and said 'Happy Birthday' in fancy script writing. I opened the card to find that in the same script writing, there was a generic pre-printed message that simply said 'may all your birthday wishes come true.' The part that made me smile was the lengthy handwritten message that Edward had written out on the blank side of the card.

_Bella – _

_I wish I could express to you the amount of joy you've brought to my life, but there are simply no adequate words. I never in my wildest dreams thought that I could find the kind of love that I have found with you, and I'm thankful for it every day. I hope that you have an absolutely perfect birthday and that it's only the first of many that we will spend together. You are the most nurturing and warm hearted woman I know and my daughter and I are beyond blessed to have you in our lives. I cherish you more than you will ever know._

_When we're together or when we're apart, you're always in my thoughts and always in my heart. _

_Have a fantastic birthday, baby._

_I love you more than words will ever be able to convey._

_Edward_

I blinked the tears out of my eyes, turned to Edward, and threw my arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around me tightly and pulled me onto his lap, laughing softly at the force that I threw myself at him with.

"Edward…" I whispered, nuzzling my face into the place between his neck and shoulder. "What you wrote was beautiful. Thank you."

"You're welcome. That doesn't even begin to cover the way I feel about you, but I'm glad you liked it."

"I loved it." I corrected him.

"Good."

I pulled back to look at his face and traced his perfect, prominent cheek bone with my index finger.

"I'm so in love with you."

"Well, that's good. I'm glad I'm not the only one feeling that way."

I smiled widely and simply just stared at his beautiful face.

"What's got you smiling like that? I'd like to know for future reference."

"Nothing…my life is just so perfect right now." I said with a content sigh.

"You're not supposed to say things like that. You might jinx yourself." He teased me.

I laughed but otherwise ignored his comment, not really thinking anything of it.

"I've been awake less than an hour and I'm already have an amazing birthday."

He smiled and ran his fingers through my hair.

"Good. I hope the rest of your day is just as amazing. I would have done the whole breakfast in bed thing…but I didn't want you to feel obligated to eat my burnt toast." He said with a smirk.

"That's okay." I said, laughing a little. "I much prefer the way that you opted to wake me up instead. And besides, I already told Chelsea that she and I could make chocolate chip pancakes together for breakfast."

"You're going to give that little monster chocolate first thing in the morning?" He asked, raising his eyebrows at me.

"She'll be fine. We'll only use a little bit. And you won't be complaining when you taste how delicious they are."

"Well how about you and I go take a quick shower and if she's not awake by then, then we'll go get her up and make breakfast. How does that sound?"

"That sounds perfect." I said and then pecked his lips before getting off of him.

And it _was_ perfect. We took an unhurried shower together under hot water and spent a good amount of time just standing under the spray kissing. He teased me by making whistling sounds as I bent over to shave my legs and I teased him back by doing the same thing as he rubbed soap over his muscular body. When we were both finished we got out and dressed in comfortable clothes and while we did we chatted about our plans for the day.

I planned to spend my morning and afternoon with Edward and Chelsea, just hanging out around the house. Edward happened to have that day off, and I couldn't have been happier about it. Since Rosalie was throwing my party at Edward's house, he obviously didn't want Chelsea sleeping there. And since he _still _wasn't talking to his mom, he had to make other arrangements. So thankfully he had managed to arrange a sleepover with Chelsea's 'best friend' from preschool. Her name was Sophia and Edward said that Chelsea had slept over there a couple of times before, but that she was the only one Chelsea had ever had a sleepover with. Apparently when Edward asked Sophia's mom if she would mind letting Chelsea stay the night, she was really cool about it and said that Sophia would love that and she was sure they would have a lot of fun. Chelsea was excited about it too, so I didn't feel too bad for her having to sleep somewhere else because of my birthday party.

So everything having to do with our evening plans would kick off at five. At five O'clock that evening, Edward would leave to take Chelsea for her play date and I would leave for my own apartment to get ready for the party. Rosalie was supposed to meet Edward at his house when he got back from dropping Chelsea off because they both wanted to take part in setting things up.

I hadn't been spending as much time with my friends as I used to, so I was really excited to be able to see everybody at once and celebrate my birthday with them. The guest list of course included Jasper and Alice, Rosalie, Emmett, and Evan. But Rosalie had also invited a bunch of our other mutual friends which included Jessica, Eric, Tyler, Angela, Victoria, Garrett, Charlotte, Peter, Leah, and Paul. She'd also invited some other random friends of hers that I barely even knew, but she assured me that they were fun to party with and I knew better than to get in her way when it came to party planning.

I was really surprised that Chelsea hadn't woken up and come downstairs to find us by the time we were out of the shower and dressed. However, I did know that she had been up later than usual the night before, so I could see why she would have slept later than she usually did.

Once we were ready, Edward and I both went upstairs to wake Chelsea up. We quietly ascended the stairs and then slowly opened her door and entered her room. When my eyes settled on my favorite little girl, I felt a huge smile spread across my face. She was fast asleep on her stomach and had seemingly kicked all of her blankets off during the night. She had one arm outstretched at her side and part of her little pink blanket clutched tightly in her tiny fist.

I turned to look at Edward and found him with his arms crossed over his chest and a look of complete adoration on his face as he looked down at his sleeping daughter. I pulled one of his arms down so that I could take his hand in mine and then I kissed his shoulder.

"She's so beautiful." I whispered. "And she makes the same face that you do when you sleep."

He looked over at me and smiled before kissing my forehead.

"Why don't you wake her up? I'm sure she'd enjoy seeing your face first thing in the morning."

I let go of his hand and went over to Chelsea's bed. I sat down on the side and then gently placed my hand on her back and rubbed it lightly.

"Chelsea…" I said softly. "Wake up, princess. I need my little helper to help me out with breakfast."

She stirred a little bit under my hand and then after a moment her eyes started to flutter open. She looked up at me and blinked a few times and then smiled sleepily when she actually woke up enough to register her surroundings.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty." I said, leaning over and kissing her cheek quickly before sitting back up again.

She rolled over onto her back and then sat up.

"I have to go potty." She whispered sleepily.

"Well you better go then." I said, smiling down at her. "Because I need you to come help me make pancakes."

She smiled at me again and then climbed down off the bed and walked towards the bathroom. I remained where I was on the bed and Edward started to tidy things up a bit around the room while we waited for her. When Chelsea returned from the bathroom, she still looked sleepy and was rubbing at her eyes. She made her way over to Edward and grabbed at his leg, looking up at him with her bright green eyes. He smiled down at her and then knelt down to her level so that he could take her in his arms in a big hug.

"Good morning, beautiful." Edward said to her.

She lifted one arm up around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder. Edward closed his eyes and smiled contently as he rubbed her back. He whispered something to her, but I was too far away to hear what it was. I loved watching moments like this between them. It made me fall in love with Edward on a whole different level.

And then suddenly Chelsea left Edward's arms, climbed back up onto the bed, and gave me a huge kiss on the cheek.

"Happy birthday, Bella!" She said, suddenly sounding much more awake.

I immediately realized that was probably what Edward whispered to her. He was probably reminding her that it was my birthday.

"Thank you!" I said, wrapping one of my arms around her.

"How old are you now?" She asked, worming her way into my lap.

"Nineteen." I answered, playing with some of her hair.

"You're old." She said, giggling.

I looked over at Edward then with the intention of making a snarky comment about how old _he_ was, but before I could say anything I decided maybe I shouldn't say anything about it in front of Chelsea. When I really looked at him, I noticed that he had an odd expression on his face.

"Is something wrong, babe?" I asked him.

"No." He answered quickly, seemingly snapping out of his thoughts. "Everything's perfect." He added, giving me a reassuring smile.

"Daddy, we have to give Bella my present." Chelsea said, turning to look at him.

"You're right, we do." He agreed, coming over and picking her up out of my lap. "Would you accompany us downstairs, my lady?" He asked, extending his hand to me.

I laughed, took his hand, and we headed downstairs. I took Chelsea into the kitchen with me and started pulling out the ingredients we would need for breakfast. Edward went into his bedroom where he said my gift from Chelsea was so he could retrieve it. When he came back in, he was carrying something wrapped in pink wrapping paper and whistling the tune to the happy birthday song. When he got closer he sat the package down on the island counter top in front of me and I saw that it was Disney princess wrapping paper.

"I like the wrapping paper." I commented.

"It's left over from Chelsea's last birthday. It was the only wrapping paper I had."

"It's perfect." I assured him, laughing a little.

"Open it!" Chelsea yelled impatiently.

"Hey, don't yell at her." Edward reprimanded.

"Sorry." She said sheepishly. "But I really want her to open it."

I smiled at her and then took the package in my hands. It was relatively flat, but not perfectly, and was rectangular shaped. I was very aware of Chelsea's anxiousness for me to open it, so I made sure not to take too long. I grabbed hold of the paper on one side and then ripped it open, revealing the back of a picture frame. I smiled at the thought of having a picture of me and Chelsea, but when I turned it over I was surprised to find that it was even better than what I expected.

The frame was a vertical rectangle, and had three different spaces for pictures stacked on top of each other. I put my hand over my heart and gasped a little as I looked at each of the pictures. The top picture was one of Chelsea and I decked out in _Pretty, Pretty Princess_ jewelry. The bottom picture was one of us in the kitchen. Chelsea had cookie dough all over her face and her shirt was covered in flour. I was standing and holding her on my hip while we both smiled at the camera. I remembered that Edward had brought out his camera that day to capture the moment because Chelsea just looked too adorable not to. Both of the photos were cute, but the middle one was my favorite. It was my favorite because it also included the most important man in both of our lives…Edward. I was sitting on the couch with Edward next to me and his arm around me. Chelsea was perched on my lap and looking up at the camera with wide eyes and a big, precious smile. I recognized the picture as one that Alice had taken one night when she and Jasper were over for dinner. I loved the picture because it was a good one of all of us, and more importantly…it was the first one I'd ever seen of all three of us together. I also couldn't help but notice we seemed to resemble a little family, and I loved it.

"There's more." Edward told me, holding up the wrapping paper that I had discarded onto the counter.

I put the frame down and then took it and noticed that there was indeed a folded piece of paper left that I hadn't noticed before. I took it, unfolded it, and felt myself smile widely. It was a picture that was clearly drawn by Chelsea and, unlike the picture she'd given me at Christmas, I could easily decipher what it was. It was a big, pink birthday cake with candles coming out of the top. At the bottom she had written her name and she had also written out 'Happy Birthday Bella' along the top. Just like the message she'd put on my Christmas card, I could see the dots that Edward had drawn for her to connect since she didn't know how to write anything other than her name yet.

I put the picture down next to the frame and went to pick up Chelsea, pulling her into a big hug.

"Thank you so much! That's a wonderful birthday gift!" I said to her.

I obviously knew that Edward had been the one to put the pictures in the frame, but she had been the one to draw me that sweet picture. Plus, she had been so excited for me to open up the gift. And more than anything, I was really thanking her for just letting me be part of her life.

"Do you like it?" She asked as I continued to hold her tightly.

"I _love_ it!"

"Good." She said, sounding satisfied.

"In fact, I love it _almost_ as much I love you!"

"Where are you going to put it?"

"I'm going to hang it up in my room right across from my bed so I can see it every day!"

"I have those pictures saved on my computer. Maybe we can put them up in your room too, Chels." Edward suggested.

"Yeah!" She agreed happily.

I put Chelsea down on her feet and then went to go hug Edward, just because I felt like I needed to. He smiled at me as I went over and wrapped my arms around his neck and responded by wrapping his arms tightly around my waist.

"I love you." I whispered as we embraced.

"I love you too."

"Bella, we have to finish the pancakes!" Chelsea said insistently from behind me.

Over breakfast, which did indeed turn out to be delicious, we discussed Chelsea's friend Sophia. Chelsea seemed really excited to spend the night with her, so naturally I was excited for her. She went on and on about all of the fun things they might do while Edward and I stayed relatively quiet, amused and content to just listen to her.

As I did the dishes after breakfast, Edward took Chelsea upstairs to get her ready for the day. As I was finishing up loading the dishwasher, I heard my phone chirp from where it sat on the countertop. I finished what I was doing, dried my hands, and went to go pick it up. It was a text message from Rosalie.

"_Hey I have a question for u…and happy birthday!"_

There were also a bunch of other unopened texts, probably just saying happy birthday, but I was curious about what Rosalie had to ask. So I answered her right away.

"_Thanks. What is it?"_

"_Embry texted me today. Him and Jake and Sam are in town 2 visit Emily."_

"_Okay..."_ I typed back, not sure what else to say.

"_Well do u want me to invite them to ur party? Or would it b weird?" _

I thought for a moment, thinking about her question. Rosalie, Alice, and I all knew Jake and his friends from back home. So it wasn't just Jake that she was asking about, it was a whole group of friends. I certainly had no problem inviting them all to my birthday party, but I knew that I should ask Edward. I didn't know how he would feel about my ex-boyfriend coming and it was at his house, after all.

I put my phone in my pocket and went upstairs to go find Edward so I could consult him before answering Rosalie. I made my way to the stairs and went up them and then to Chelsea's room. She was sitting on the floor in front of her toy chest with a few toys sitting out in front of her, but her attention was given to a little handheld Fischer Price game thingy that I knew was supposed to help her learn new words.

"Hey, where's your Daddy?" I asked her.

"He went to go get new blankets for my bed so he can wash my old ones." She explained.

"Oh, okay."

I went back out into the hallway and rounded the corner that would give me view of the closet that I knew Edward kept his sheets in, but he wasn't at that closet. Instead, he was at the closet next to it. I'd only seen the inside of that closet a couple times, but I knew that it stored random things like batteries and light bulbs. The door was open and Edward was sitting on the floor across from it with his back against the wall. He had a small plastic tub next to him and was sifting through something that as I got closer I realized were pictures.

"Hey, what are you doing?" I asked softly as I approached him.

He looked up at me and flashed me that panty-soaking smile of his.

"You wanna see some baby pictures of Chels?" He asked.

"Yeah!" I said excitedly.

"Come here."

He patted the floor next to him so I went and sat down. Once I was settled he handed me the picture that he had just been looking at. It was a picture of a baby Chelsea in a baby carrier. She was dressed in a pink outfit and already had little golden curls.

"Aw, she's adorable." I said as I looked at it. "But to be honest, she's only gotten cuter with age."

"I know she has." He agreed with a small laugh. "I'm gonna have to fight the boys off of her when she's older."

"What made you decide to come look at these pictures?" I asked curiously.

"Oh I came to get some clean sheets for her bed and to put away the negatives to those pictures we used for your gift. I went to go put them in this box of miscellaneous pictures I have and I just got distracted looking at them."

"Ah, I see."

"Yeah"

We went through a few more pictures together and I commented on how cute she was in each one. After about seven or eight pictures, he swiftly moved the next one to the bottom of the stack before I got the chance to even see what it was a picture of.

"Hey, why can't I see that one?" I asked, laughing.

"You can. I just didn't know if you would want to." He said with a shrug.

"Why wouldn't I want to?" I asked, confused.

"Well, it's uh…" He paused and lowered his voice a little bit. "It's got Tanya in it."

"Oh." I said, now understanding the reason for his hesitation. "Well I don't mind. But you don't have to show me if you don't want to."

"No, I don't care. I just didn't know if you'd want to put a face to her name or not."

I sighed, smiled so he knew I wasn't at all actually annoyed, and extended my hand to him.

"Well now curiosity will just eat away at me. So you have to show me."

He chuckled in response and put the picture in my hand. Sure enough, it was a picture of a tall woman holding a tiny Chelsea in her cradled in arms. She was smiling, but it didn't look genuine. That didn't surprise me though since I knew she wasn't happy having a baby. Although she looked stressed and sad, I couldn't deny that she was beautiful.

"Wow." I said softly. "She's really pretty."

"I suppose so…on the outside, that is."

I studied her picture a little more and had to laugh when the thought occurred to me that she was really pretty, but she was also the total opposite of me.

"What's funny?" He asked, moving my hair back behind my shoulders.

"Nothing, it's just…she's the total opposite of me. I don't have low self esteem or anything, and I don't think I'm ugly, it just sounded funny in my head to one moment think she's really pretty and then a moment later acknowledge she's my opposite."

She truly was my opposite. She was tall, and I was relatively short. She had shorter blonde hair and I had longer brown hair. She had blue eyes, and mine were brown. She had tan skin, and mine was more creamy and pale. Her tan, however, was obviously artificial.

Edward took the picture from my hand a moment later and put it back at the bottom of the stack, simultaneously leaning over to kiss below my ear.

"She's got nothing on you. I'm way more attracted to you, physically _and_ emotionally. So you being her opposite is a good thing."

"Well it's not like a feel threatened by her." I assured him. "I could never feel threatened by a woman who does what she did. Any man who wants that…well, I don't want that kind of man anyway."

"Well I'm glad you feel that way, because you're spot on."

"So, speaking of past relationships," I started, remembering what I wanted to ask him. "I want to ask you something."

"Go for it." He said as he put the pictures away.

"Do you remember me telling you about Jake?"

"Your ex?"

"Yeah"

"Yeah, I remember."

"Well a group of some friends that Rose, Alice, and I have from home are in town right now. And Jake happens to be with them. So Rosalie asked me if she should invite them to the party tonight. But I didn't want to answer her until I talked to you about it. Because I mean, it's your house so if it would make you uncomfortable then I – "

He cut me off by putting his finger over my lips.

"Baby, stop." He said, laughing. "I don't need an explanation. It's your birthday. You have over whoever you want."

"Okay. I just didn't want him to show up and it seem like I invited him specifically. Because the only reason I want to invite him is because he's with a group of my friends. And they are also friends with Rose and Alice, so it would be nice to see them."

"I understand. But thank you for taking my feelings into consideration."

"So you wouldn't mind at all?"

"No, I wouldn't mind."

"Good. Maybe you guys will even get along. He's really laid back, and I've known him practically my whole life because our Dads are good friends. So it's actually really easy to see him as just a friend opposed to as something else."

"Well, I have to admit, I may normally be a little territorial since I know you lost your virginity to him. However, it's a great comfort to know that he couldn't get you off and _I _can." He said with a playful smirk.

I laughed and leaned over to suck on his ear lobe for a second.

"Oh, you definitely can." I said after releasing it.

He laughed and pulled me onto his lap.

"I think that thought alone will be able to keep any male pride issues at bay on my end."

"Well, thanks for being so understanding about it. It's going to be great to have so many of my friends here, especially ones that I haven't seen in a long time."

"Well that's all I want. I just want you to have a good time and enjoy your birthday."

"So far so good" I said with a big smile.

"So how do you want to spend the rest of your birthday up until five O'clock?"

"Hmm…" I tapped my chin thoughtfully but it only took me a second to decide what I wanted to do. "I know. I want to go play _Pretty, Pretty Princess_ with Chelsea."

He cringed and then sighed.

"Do I have to participate?"

"Absolutely." I laughed, stood up, and offered my hand out to him. "Come on, old man."

"Oh, I'm gonna get you for that one." He said with a smirk as he stood up.

"Is that so?" I asked, laughing as I dropped my hand and raised my eyebrows.

He swatted my ass hard, making a loud popping sound, and then started tickling my sides. I laughed loudly and took off running down the hall, provoking him to chase after me. Chelsea, probably hearing all of the commotion, stepped out of her room and into the hallway. I ran right past her and down the stairs at full speed. I could hear Edward laughing and running behind me, and I could tell that he was gaining on me.

"WE'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO RUN ON THE STAIRS, DADDY!" I heard Chelsea yell from somewhere behind me.

"SORRY!" Edward yelled back to her, right behind me now.

A second later I felt his strong arms wrap around my waist from behind and pull me back. We both stumbled and fell to the floor, me pretty much completely on top of him. The fall, however, did not distract him long enough to stop him from bringing on a new round of tickles to my sides.

_So far_, it was the best birthday ever.

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**A/N:**

**Yay! I've made my official return after having my beautiful baby. And let me tell you, childbirth is difficult, but it was the most amazing experience of my life. Max was born on October 1****st****, and came out absolutely perfect after five grueling hours of labor. **

**Anywho, again, thank you to all of the people who messaged/reviewed/tweeted me just to check on me and baby Max. Your love and support has meant a lot.**

**Next chapter is going to be Bella's party. I'm sure you all understand that I don't know exactly when I'll be able to update since my schedule now revolves around someone else, but I'm going to shoot for once a week. **

**Oh, exciting news! **_**GinaJas**_** lovingly volunteered to make a thread over on Twilighted for this story. So you can find it at…**

http:/www(dot)twilighted(dot)net/forum/viewtopic(dot)php?f=44&t=12358

**[just replace the places that say (dot) with real dots (.) like that]**

**You know what a lovely congrats on having a baby gift would be? Breaking 2000 reviews with this chapter! We're close! I know we can do it!**

**Jenna**


	29. Happy Birthday! right?

**A/N: **

**FINALLY! A new chapter. I'm sorry that this took so long, but I'm trying the whole "comeback" thing again. But let's just get something straight first. The reason I stopped writing for a little while was basically just because I was really angry. I had a lot of reviews who said some really rude things about how I obviously didn't care about my fans because I hadn't updated or that they were taking me off of their favorite list because I'm letting my readers down. So listen, I'm going to explain this ONCE. I have a 3 month old baby. I'm a newlywed. I now have a four year old stepdaughter who has a NIGHTMARE for a mother. AND I'M ONLY 21 YEARS OLD! So yes, my life has changed dramatically. And fanfic hasn't been able to be as much of a priority as it once was. And I don't feel bad about that, because this is a HOBBY! I don't get paid for this, guys. My FAMILY is what matters right now. **

**With that being said, things have cooled down a bit and I'm finally getting back into a more normal schedule. Also, I have received such a huge recent outpouring of love and support from you guys (don't get me wrong, MOST of you are amazingly supportive) that I just had to get back to this story. Not only that, but I want to finish it for ME.**

**Alright, let's get on with it…**

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**BPOV**

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I'm not at all a conceited person, but it was even obvious to me that I looked damn hot for my birthday party. I probably looked so good because Rosalie had previously designated my outfit, and that girl knew her shit when it came to fashion. She had picked out for me a black dress that clung to my body and the way it was cut made it anything but simple. It had a razorback style back to it and cutouts along the waist that showed just a tiny bit of skin. The hem hit just above mid-thigh and that paired with the shoes that Rosalie had picked out for me made my legs look longer than they usually did.

The shoes were…well, the shoes were hard to explain. The shoes sort of resembled boots, but they were open-toed and only went up to just above my ankle. Rosalie called them 'ankle booties'. But whatever they were, they looked amazing with my dress. They were a little out there as opposed to the type of shoes I normally wore, but Rosalie told me that I had to dress 'fierce' to my own birthday party. And I had to admit after putting them on with my dress that I loved them.

I did my make-up like I normally would to go out at night. I applied it as I normally would for day time use, just instead using darker shades of everything. I pulled my hair up in a messy-in-a-cute-way ponytail for two reasons. One, I didn't want it in my face all night. Two, I wanted to show off the cool back to my dress.

I was seemingly right on schedule as I got ready because just as I was finished getting myself together, it was time for me to leave to go pick up Evan. He asked if he could ride with me so that he could take a cab home to avoid drinking and driving and wouldn't have to leave his car at Edward's. I planned on sleeping at Edward's that night, so I wouldn't have to worry about that either.

When I went to call Evan and tell him I was on my way, I realized that I didn't have my phone. And then a moment later I remembered where I left it on Edward's kitchen counter. It was a little annoying that I didn't have it, but I didn't let it get to me too much. After all, it was literally the only unfortunate thing that had happened to me all day. Other than that, my birthday had been absolutely perfect. So it was pretty easy to let this minor inconvenience roll off my back.

On the way to Evan's apartment, I was still in a fantastic mood. Since I didn't have my phone to alert him of my arrival in the parking lot of his complex, I had to go up and get him. But I really didn't mind. I skipped up the steps to his door happily, humming to myself the tune of the song I had just been listening to on the radio. He opened the door quickly and when he did I actually jumped a little at the volume of his excited squeal.

"AHH! Come here you hot little birthday bitch!" he said, pulling me into a hug.

"Thanks?" I said, laughing.

"Are you ready to get your party on?"

"Definitely. I'm guaranteed a good time if you're there after all."

"DUH! Speaking of a good time, let's get out of here! We have a party to get to, honey!"

We didn't linger at his apartment at all. We were back down to my car in a flash and were quickly on our way to Edward's house.

"Do you think everybody will show up?" I asked as I pulled out of my parking space. "How sad if only a handful of people actually come…"

"Any party that Rosalie helps plan is going to be a hit. Trust me. That girl knows what she's doing. I'm sure here and Alice will draw in a hefty guest list. Oh and you look hot as fuck, by the way."

"Thanks! It felt good to get all gussied up. I feel like I haven't done that in forever."

"Um, maybe because you haven't! You never come out anymore! That hot piece of man candy of yours keeps you hidden away all to himself."

"Hey, it's not like I'm complaining." I said, smiling.

"Yeah, I bet. I'm sure that sexy chunk of man keeps you satisfied locked up in that house with his glorious pleasure stick…"

"Isn't it considered inappropriate to talk about how sexy other people's boyfriends are?" I teased him.

"Oh shit, am I breaking girl code? My badzies…"

I laughed and reached over to pat his knee.

"It's okay. I know he's hard not to drool over."

"Well now you're just bragging!"

"Have I told you about my high school boyfriend? Jake?"

"Yeah, I think so. Why? Don't even try to tell me that he's as hot as doctor Edward…"

"He's coming tonight."

"Really? Why?"

"Well, there's a group of my friends that happen to be in town from home. And he's with them. So Rose asked me if we should invite them and I said yes."

"And your man is cool with that?"

"Yeah, he is. I mean, it's not like I specifically invited Jake. I invited a group of people that he happens to be with."

"Aww, your man is hot _and _understanding. What a catch!"

"I know." I sighed happily.

I was pleasantly surprised when I finally pulled up to Edward's house. Not only were there people there already, but there were quite a few people there already. At least, there were a lot of cars there. The driveway was full as was a good portion of the street. But I still managed to find a spot along the curb. So I parked my car and made my way up the driveway with Evan on my arm. I would have just gone in through the garage like I always did, but it was closed. So I had to go in through the front door. Thankfully it was unlocked so I didn't have to ring the doorbell or anything. I liked feeling at home at Edward's house, so I always preferred to let myself in.

"Get ready to get your party on!" I said excitedly as we approached the front door.

"Oh it's been on, honey." He answered with a finger snap.

I knew that Rose and Alice loved planning parties, but I was so not expecting what I found when I walked into the house. It was a total transformation of what Edward's house normally looked like. There weren't just a few decorations; there was a vast quantity of them. By far the most eye catching thing was the hot pink and silver balloons everywhere. They weren't just tied to various objects, they were blown up and released to cover almost every part of the ceiling and leave their strings dangling down above our heads. There were also streamers, happy birthday banners, and strands of pink lights hung up in various places. It looked amazing. And the décor was only half of what so effectively portrayed the hot party theme that was going on. There was also some banging music playing and even though I couldn't see them from the entry way, I could tell it was being played on some legit speakers or amps or something. The house sounded like a fucking club, so I knew the source of the music couldn't be some little CD player.

"It looks amazing in here! They outdid themselves on this one!" Evan yelled loud enough so that I could hear him over the music.

"They really did! This is perfect! I love it!" I answered.

"Let's go find everybody so I can show off my sexy birthday girl!"

We didn't have to go far to find everybody. Once we entered the living room, all present heads turned towards us and then I was attacked with a wave of hugs and happy birthday wishes. I greeted three friends from school first and then out of know where a beaming Alice was standing in front of me.

"Happy birthday!" She said, pulling me into a hug. "You look so pretty!"

"Thanks! So do you!" I answered as I hugged her back.

"Are you having a good birthday?" She asked.

"Yes! It's been perfect! I seriously appreciate you and Rosalie doing this party." I said, knowing that it had pretty much been a joint effort.

"No problem! You deserve it! And we love you!"

"Ali, you better come over here and give me some love!" Evan said sternly once Alice finally released me.

"How could I forget you!" Alice said through laughter as she went to hug him.

"Where's Jasper?" I asked Alice as Evan released her.

"Oh he and Edward had to go on a beer run. They bought a whole bunch of liquor, but they forget beer…crazy boys…"

"Oh really?" I asked.

I hadn't really questioned where Edward was, because I had just gotten there, but I was bummed that he had left. Even though I had been with him all day, I was still just as excited to see him as I always was.

"Yeah but they've been gone awhile. They should be back soon. Anyway, Rose is in the kitchen. You better go find her. I promised her if I saw you first that I would send you her way."

I left Evan chatting with Alice and then went towards the kitchen to find Rosalie. There were significantly more people in the kitchen than the living room. I guess everyone decided to make a drink at the same time. Rosalie wasn't hard to spot in the crowd, however. She looked just as gorgeous as ever. And to my surprise yet pleasure, she was talking to Emmett. I smiled at the sight of them and then went over to where they stood at the counter where Rose was mixing a drink. I wrapped my arms around Rosalie from behind and hugged her tightly.

"Thank you so much for this amazing party! The house looks incredible!" I yelled so she could hear me.

"AHH! MY BIRTHDAY GIRL IS HERE!" She screamed excitedly, turning around in my arms to give me a proper hug.

Her loud announcement of my arrival had everyone in the kitchen looking at me. Then they were yelling happy birthday to me and cheering and holding there drinks up in the air.

"You look fucking sexy!" I told Rosalie.

"No _you_ look fucking sexy!" She answered. "Do you want me to make you a drink?"

"No, not yet. I don't want to start drinking too early. I don't want to be a hot mess on my birthday."

"Good thinking. Drunken birthday girls are so not cute."

"Definitely."

"Don't I get to give you a birthday hug?" Emmett asked, opening his arms to me.

"Of course!" I said, laughing as I went and wrapped my arms around him.

"Happy birthday!" He yelled enthusiastically.

"Thanks! How have you been?"

"Oh, I'm good. I'm keeping that man of yours in check for you, don't worry."

"Thanks, I appreciate it." I said, laughing and rolling my eyes.

"BELLA!" I heard someone yell excitedly from behind me.

I turned around to see Embry, one of my buddies from home, entering the kitchen. Behind him and holding hands were Sam and Emily. And then bringing up the rear was Jake.

"Hey!" I answered, going over to hug him.

"How have you been? I haven't seen you in so long!" He asked, lifting me in his arms and spinning me around dramatically as we embraced.

"I'm amazing! I love college! But I've missed you guys!"

"We've missed you too. Forks is a little less fun with no Bella Swan." He answered as he put me back down on my feet.

"Just a little?" I asked jokingly.

"Oh, I'm sorry. What I meant to say what that Forks is lame and depressing with no Bella Swan." He responded, grinning.

"Whatever…Forks has _always _been lame and depressing." I said with a little laugh.

"Oh, I almost forgot! We brought you a birthday present! I'm gonna go get it out of the car."

Before I could even answer, Embry was bounding out of the kitchen towards the front door. And then next thing I knew, standing right in front of me was the big, muscular, tan, and rugged boy that would forever symbolize Forks to me.

"Happy birthday, Bella." He said, slowly flashing me his big, white smile.

"Hey, Jake." I said, returning a surprisingly genuine smile of my own.

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**EPOV**

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"Dude, Alice let me fuck her ass last night."

I snapped my head up to look at Jasper from where he sat in the driver's seat. All thoughts of the text message I had been typing to Bella were gone. Now, I was more concerned with why my best friend felt the need to plant a visual image in my mind that was far less then welcome.

"Did you seriously feel it necessary to share that with me, Jazz?" I asked, feeling my eyebrows pull together a little.

"What's wrong? Jealous?" He asked with a smirk.

"I have no reason to be jealous." I said honestly. "For the first time in a long time I can actually say that I'm being completely sexually satisfied."

"What does that mean? You're getting anal play too?"

"What? No. that's not what I meant."

"So you're _not_ getting any rear end action?"

"Is that any of your business?" I mumbled.

"Are you _blushing_?" He teased, looking over at me with a big goofy grin.

"No, I am not fucking blushing." I said, diverting my attention back to my phone. "And keep your fucking eyes on the road." I said after feeling his stare still locked on me.

"What's up your ass, man?" He asked as he once again looked forward to the road. "…No pun intended." He said with a huff of a laugh. "But seriously…what's your problem? We always talk about this kind of shit. Why so shy all of the sudden?"

"There is no problem." I said flatly. "There's just nothing to talk about. Bella and I, well, we don't…do that."

"For real? Why not? Does she not like it or have you just not asked for it? Because, I mean, if you haven't asked… you totally should. She's at that age where girls are all experimental and kinky and shit. I bet she'd do it."

"Bella isn't the issue, Jazz. What am I saying? There is no fucking issue. If it's something that I really wanted to try then I would have asked her about it by now. I'm just not even sure that _I'm_ into it."

"Wait, what? What do you mean if it was something you wanted to try? You've never done anal before?"

"No." I answered simply, feeling no shame in that answer.

"For fucking real? Why not? Wait, not even with Tanya?"

"What makes you think I would have had anal sex with Tanya?"

"I don't know." He said with a shrug. "She just always seemed the kinky type. But seriously, why haven't you tried it?"

"I just never felt the desire for it I guess."

"Are you serious? Dude, anal is the best."

"Really? I've never gotten the impression that it's all that common. But you're acting like I'm a fucking prude for not doing it."

"Not a prude, you're just missing out. And I bet it's more common than you think. People don't really talk about it I guess, but it's like the world's best kept secret. It's awesome. A lot of girls dig it too."

"It doesn't make you feel…gay? I mean, not that I have a problem with gay people. It just seems kind of weird to want that as opposed to regular sex when you've got a vagina right in front of you."

"Hell no it doesn't make me feel gay. Pussy is good too, don't get me wrong, but anal is different. And it's a nice way to spice things up every so often."

"Hmm" I said, drifting off into thoughts of what anal sex might be like with Bella.

Just as silence washed over us, we were pulling onto my street. There were a lot more cars present than when we had left and it was actually difficult to find a spot along the curb. I couldn't help but smile when I saw Bella's car. Knowing that Bella was inside waiting for me made my heart beat just a little bit faster.

_Yeah, I'm a fucking pussy._

I took two cases of beer, one under each arm, while Jasper grabbed two more. As we made our way into the house back through the front door, I was surprised by how crowded it had become. It made me a little nervous to be honest, having all of those people in my house. I quickly pushed that thought aside though. My main focus of the night was simply making sure that Bella had a good time.

And of course, my eyes locked on her the second that I entered the kitchen. They always would. She was facing away from me and therefore didn't notice me. So, I of course took the time to appreciate the view of her gorgeous body across the room. I smiled at the first sight of her, but that smile quickly turned into a small frown.

Why? Because I had a big fucking problem with her dress.

The problem wasn't that I didn't like the dress. Quite the contrary, actually. I _loved_ the dress. She looked sexy as hell in the dress. It had these sexy little cut outs on the sides of her waist and just barely covered her ass, which it also gave a wonderful view of. The problem I had with it was that it was the kind of dress that made you want to bend your girlfriend over and fuck the shit out of her from behind…_not_ the type of dress that you would want her to wear at her birthday party in front dozens of people. My protective boyfriend side wanted to race to my room, grab some of her clothes that she kept here, and insist that she change. In fact, it took a lot of will power not to do so.

I was so wrapped in scrutinizing Bella's attire that it took me a few moments to notice the guy that she was talking to. Wait, not just talking to…_giggling_ with. I watched silently for another minute, feeling my frown deepen. The guy was laughing with her and they seemed to be deep in conversation.

I immediately wanted to know who he was, where he came from, and when he would be leaving.

Just as I was about to go put the beer in my arms away before going to break up the gigglefest going on across the room, some guy tripped into Bella from behind as he was trying to make his way through the crowded room. To my complete displeasure, Bella stumbled forward a little towards the guy she'd been talking to. The hand that she was holding her drink in came into contact with his chest first, making her cup tip back a little and spill some of her beverage over her chest. The guy who'd tripped into her quickly apologized and walked away. The guy she'd been talking to, however, began looking around for napkins.

_He better not be thinking he's going to wipe that drink off of my girlfriend's fucking tits._

It was clearly time to intervene.

I put the two cases of beer down on the island countertop and called to Jasper over my shoulder to put them away. I picked up a handful of napkins from next to where I sat the beer down and quickly made my way over to Bella. As I approached her I slipped one arm around her little waist and lifted my other hand to give her the napkins. She looked up and over at me as her face melted into a big smile.

"Oh, hey!" She practically had to yell to be heard over the music. "Thanks!" She added, taking the napkins from me.

As Bella began to pat her cleavage with the napkins, I glanced over at the guy still standing too close. He had stopped his search for napkins and was now looking at us curiously. Once Bella was dry, she put the napkins down and once again looked up at me. I looked back at her and tried to muster up a genuine looking smile. She leaned in and to the side with clear intentions to kiss my cheek, but I turned just in time to instead capture her lips with my own in a searing yet quick kiss. She squeaked a little in surprise, but kissed me back nonetheless.

"Are you going to introduce me to your friend?" I asked with a smile as I pulled away.

I looked back over at the still nameless guy who was now looking at me with a look of…disgust?

My immediate male reaction was to size him up. He was definitely young, probably Bella's age, but was a big guy regardless. He was a little shorter than me, but just barely. And I couldn't deny he was packing some serious muscle in his arms and chest.

"Oh, yeah, of course." Bella said, reminding me of the question I'd asked her and already forgotten. "Jake, this is my boyfriend, Edward. Edward, this is Jake."

As Bella introduced us, I extended my hand to Jake. He stared at me for a moment before taking my hand in a firm grip and shaking it.

"Nice to meet you." He mumbled.

"Likewise." I responded.

"So," Bella continued, now sounding quiet and careful. "Jake is one of my friends that came up from Forks. The one I was telling you about? We dated in high school." She said softly.

_Oh_.

So this was Bella's ex boyfriend. How was I supposed to react to that? It's not like I was going to say that I'd heard a lot about him and was glad to finally meet him. Because, obviously, I really wasn't all that pumped about meeting him…or him being in my home for that matter.

The silence settling between the three of us quickly became uncomfortable. I was sure that Jake also felt it, but I wondered if Bella did as well. I mean, what does one say to strike up conversation between their girlfriend and her ex boyfriend?

'_my condolences that you're no longer hitting this fine piece of ass that is now mine and please keep your fucking distance?'_

No. That didn't seem very appropriate.

"Doesn't the house look amazing?" Bella asked me, shaking me back out of my reverie of thoughts.

"Yeah, it does." I answered. "And I can't take any credit for it, by the way. I didn't help much. Alice and Rosalie were pretty clear that Jasper and I were not to touch anything. I think those girls have serious cases of OCD."

Jake started laughing loudly, annoying the shit out of me and provoking Bella to look over at him curiously.

"Remember that time when we had that surprise party for Daniel? We all went to go pick up the cake and I guess it wasn't as perfect as Rosalie thought it should be. She yelled at the lady at the bakery and almost made her cry. That girl is fucking dangerous when it comes to party preparation."

"Oh, yeah!" Bella said, now laughing with him. "Remember when I got my wisdom teeth out and you guys made me that huge get well soon card out of poster board? She got so mad that Embry signed his name and wrote his note upside down she didn't talk to him for two days!"

I shifted my weight uncomfortably, not sure what to do with myself since Bella and her ex boyfriend had apparently taken off on a trip down memory lane. I wanted to take Bella's hand and lead her into my room where I could keep her to myself, yet I knew that wasn't an option. The reason she was having a birthday party in the first place was to see all of her friends. And since I'd already told her that I didn't have a problem with her ex-boyfriend coming, I really didn't feel like it was place to get my feathers all fucking ruffled just because she was talking to him. So, I plastered a smile to my face as I stood there and listened to them reminisce of old times. However, the longer their stories went on…the clearer it became that I really needed a drink.

I put my hand on Bella's lower back and leaned in to talk into her ear so that I knew she could hear me over the loud music.

"I'm gonna go get a drink, babe. Do you want anything?"

"No thanks." She answered, turning her face towards me a little and pausing in her conversation with Jake. "I really don't want to drink too much so I'm going to try to space them out. I can't be a drunken and sloppy birthday girl!" She added, giggling adorably.

I smiled and kissed her head before giving Jake a pointed look of warning to keep himself in check and walking away in search of something strong to drink.

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**BPOV**

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Edward's lips brushed against my ear as he asked me if I wanted a drink, making me forget what I was even talking about at the moment. I declined his offer and then watched as he walked away. Once he had disappeared into the crowd of people, I turned to find Jake looking at me expectantly.

" What?" I asked.

"You were just in the middle of telling me something?"

"Oh…yeah, I don't remember what I was saying."

"So that's your boyfriend, huh?" he asked, looking a little bothered.

"Yes, that's my boyfriend. Is there a problem?" I asked, raising my eyebrows at him in a challenging manor.

"No." He answered quickly. "I just, I mean…how old is he?"

"He's thirty." I answered nonchalantly.

"_Thirty?_ Are you _serious_, Bells? That's fucking creepy."

"Why is that creepy?"

"You're barely out of high school! I mean, what do you guys even have in common?"

"A lot more than you think. Edward is a great guy."

"Him being a good guy is a little irrelevant isn't it? I mean, it doesn't change that he's almost twice your age."

"Oh, come on. He is _not_ almost twice my age! I'm nineteen and he's only like ten years older than me."

"Eleven, actually. And either way that's a whole freaking decade!"

I sighed and shook my head.

"Can we just not talk about this, Jake? I really am glad that you came, but I want everything to be peaceful tonight. Let's just not talk about Edward, okay? We'll just agree to disagree."

"Whatever." He said with a shrug, taking a sip of his beer. "But you have to tell me…what does your _dad_ think about this?"

"I'm serious, Jake. New subject. Please."

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**Rosalie POV**

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"I really like your dress."

I rolled my eyes dramatically, but couldn't help cracking a smile.

"That's the third time you've told me that tonight, Emmett."

"I know." He said, grinning like a little boy. "But if there's anything to know about me, it's that I say literally whatever pops into my mind. And that just keeps popping into my mind tonight."

"You know, that's going to get you into trouble one of these days." I answered, narrowing my eyes even thought I was still smiling like a fool.

"What's going to get me into trouble?"

"Just saying whatever pops into your mind."

"Oh, it already has. Trust me."

"You're crazy." I said, laughing a little.

"You're beautiful." He said in a very serious tone, completely ignoring my casual laughter.

I felt the smile slowly fade from my face as I took in the sincerity of his statement. I swallowed hard and looked down to stir my drink with my straw.

_Why does my face feel so hot?_

And then I realized that I was…_blushing_? What the hell has gotten into me?

"Thank you." I said, not wanting him to mistake my sudden mood shift for aversion to him.

I felt his fingers on my chin, gently lifting my face up so that my eyes met his.

"What's wrong?" He asked, barely loud enough for me to hear him over the noise of the party.

"Nothing, I just…no guy has ever called me beautiful before. I've been called sexy and hot…but never beautiful."

"Really?" He asked, seeming genuinely surprised.

"Really." I confirmed.

"Well, I mean, you are those things…sexy and hot. But you're more. You're a lot of things. You're sexy, smart, hot, cute, sweet, strong…but more than anything else you're beautiful. I mean, to me."

I felt my mouth fall open a little as he spoke. And then, everything was crystal clear.

I'd been thinking that Emmett was the kind of guy that I _needed_, but not the kind of guy I _wanted_. I thought that was what my problem was. But I was so wrong. Emmett was _exactly _what I needed _and _wanted. I had just spent so much time looking in the wrong places, that I couldn't recognize him for what he was.

…perfect.

I put my hand on the back of his neck and pulled his head down to mine. I pressed my lips to his, and I kissed him. And it was unlike any other kisses that we had shared before. It wasn't hot and needy. There was no tongue or lip biting. It was short, slow, and soft. And I hoped that it at least began to portray to him what I was feeling.

When we pulled away from each other after only a few moments, the look on Emmett's face made me laugh a little. He was smiling like a little boy on Christmas morning, or maybe like an athlete that had just won the game of his life.

"What was that for?" He asked, still grinning.

"That was for being you, Emmett."

He looked down then, still smiling, and it seemed that now _he_ was the one blushing.

"Do you want another drink?" He asked suddenly, I guess noticing my empty cup.

"Sure, thanks." I replied, handing him the cup.

"Another vodka and cranberry juice?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, be right back." He said, flashing me a big smile before leaving for the counter where all of the liquor was.

As I stood waiting for Emmett, I noticed Bella and Jake talking across the room. I wondered if it was awkward, considering they were exes, and I felt a little conflicted. It was definitely my duty as a best friend to intervene if I noticed Bella in an uncomfortable situation, but the problem was that I didn't know if she were uncomfortable or not. So, I decided that I would go over and check things out for myself.

"Hey birthday girl!" I said loudly and excitedly as I approached them.

"Hey!" She answered, a huge smile on her face. "Are you having fun?"

"I'm having a blast!" I said honestly.

"BELLAAAAA! ROSIEEEEE!" Called the voice who could only belong to one person.

"EVANNNNN!" Bella yelled back to him from across the room.

"Come dance with me girlies!" He answered, extending his arms to us.

"Okay!" Bella squealed excitedly. "Come on, Rose."

"I can't. I'm waiting for Emmett to bring me my drink." I told her.

She smiled and gave me a knowing look.

"Alright, well come and find us after you get your drink."

"Okay, I will." I promised.

Bella left the room with Evan, leaving me standing there with Jake.

"Who was that?" He asked curiously.

"Oh, that was Evan. He's our gay BFF."

"Hope he's not as old as her boyfriend." He scoffed in response.

I put a hand on my hip and raised my eyebrows at him, a little taken aback.

"Jealous?" I asked, sounding a little more accusatory than I planned.

"No." He answered defensively. "I just think it's creepy. And I hope that he's not taking advantage of her."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I hope he's not just using her, thinking that she's 'young and impressionable' or some stupid shit like that."

I sighed and dropped my hand.

"I can assure that he is _not_ taking advantage of her or using her or anything like that. In fact, I think they're pretty serious already and it's only been a few months. But they're good together. Edward's a really great guy."

"Why does everyone keep saying that? I'm not saying that he's a bad guy. I'm just saying that he's too old for her."

"Yeah well you wouldn't be thinking like that if you had the mindset of just her friend, as you should, as opposed to her ex-boyfriend."

"Well hot damn, Rosalie." He said, laughing. "When did you get so fucking mature?" He asked, reaching out to ruffle my hair.

"Hey!" I yelled, trying to swat his hand away. "Stop! You're going to mess up my hair, you asshole!"

He pulled his hand back, his laugh fading into a smile.

"I knew it. You're still a Barbie deep down underneath all that grown-up talk."

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**EPOV**

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I felt a strong hand grip my shoulder as I stood at the counter, making myself a Crown and Coke. I turned my head to the side to find Emmett standing next to me, smiling like an idiot.

"What are you smiling about?" I asked, laughing a little.

"Rosalie kissed me." He answered, sounding proud as hell.

I felt my eyebrows pull together in confusion, not seeing the big deal.

"So? I mean, haven't you guys kissed before?"

"Yeah, but this was different. She didn't kiss me because we were hooking up. She kissed me because she likes me?"

"Really? She told you that?" I asked, interested in the possibility of Rosalie having a breakthrough.

"Well, not exactly in those words." He said, starting to mix a drink. "But I know that she does."

"That's great, man." I answered.

"Thanks. I mean, at least we're making progress. I won't be completely satisfied until she's my girl officially, but this is kind of like a milestone. You know?"

"Definitely."

I looked back down again to replace the lid on the bottle of whisky while Emmett finished up making his drinks.

"Hey, what the hell? Who is that guy trying to talk to Rosalie?"

I looked up and followed Emmett's gaze to see what he was talking about. I sighed, my eyes settling on Jake.

"That's Bella's ex-boyfriend." I informed him.

I was at least a little pleased to find that Bella was no longer standing with him. I didn't know where she was, but at least it wasn't with Jake.

"Oh, no shit? What's he doing here?"

"He's in town with a group of her friends from home. I told her it was okay to invite them all and it's not like she could say that everyone except him could come."

"Oh. Well, that was…nice of you." He said, sounding surprised.

I shrugged and took a sip of my drink.

"I just want her to have a good birthday. I wanted her to be able to invite all of her friends."

"Dude, you know that these girls are turning us into total pussies don't you?"

"Yeah, I know." I said, smiling.

Emmett suddenly walked off, saying something about somebody touching his girl's hair. I was left standing there with my drink, not really sure what to do with myself. I didn't have any friends here other than Emmett and Jasper. Emmett was occupied with Rosalie and I assumed that Jasper was just as occupied with Alice, but decided to go look for him anyway. I really wanted to just go be with Bella, but I didn't want to be clingy. She had a lot of friends there and I wanted her to feel free to mix and mingle with them without me following her around.

It seemed like everyone was either congregating in the kitchen or in the living room. Since I didn't see Jasper in the kitchen, I decided the living room was probably a better bet. I took another sip of my drink and then went to make my way through the crowd of people and into the other room.

I was surprised by how many people were dancing. There was a whole crowd of them, swaying back and forth and grinding on each other. I was a little disappointed when I quickly spotted Jasper dancing with Alice. He was pretty much my only hope of another guy to talk to.

"YEAH, GET IT BIRTHDAY GIRL!" I heard someone yell.

I whipped my head towards the direction I heard the person yell from, assuming there was only birthday girl at the party. Sure enough, my eyes quickly settled on Bella. She was dancing provocatively to some obnoxious rap song, swaying her hips back and forth and grinding her ass into someone's crotch. The only solace I had in the situation was that the crotch belonged to her gay friend, Evan. She looked sexy as hell. _Too_ sexy, in fact, for me to comfortable with her dancing like that with so many other guys around. She had taken her hair out the confines of its ponytail and it was now cascading down in messy curls, whipping back and forth as she danced. I could tell by the look on her face, because I knew all of her faces like the back of my hand, that she wasn't just _looking_ sexy as hell…she was _feeling_ sexy as hell.

But none of that is actually what bothered me. No. It was that damn dress.

Due to her dancing, the dress had ridden up even more since I'd seen her in the kitchen. If them hemline moved any higher, I think her ass cheeks would have literally been hanging out. Her legs were bent slightly and parted a little as she leaned forward, aiding her movements of her ass into Evan's groin. And the dress wasn't just high in the back; it was high in the front too. It made her legs look miles long, but it was something that I would appreciate for my eyes only.

I didn't actually consider stepping in until I noticed a guy that had been dancing next to her look her body up and down lustfully, clearly checking her out. When he licked his bottom lip and started to move closer to Bella, I didn't even think twice about going over to her. I put my drink down on the closest surface I could find and eagerly pushed through the people in my way.

"Edward!" Bella proclaimed excitedly when she noticed me coming towards her.

Once I was close enough she immediately disengaged from Evan and threw herself at me, wrapping her arms around my neck while mine instinctively encircled her waist.

"Hey." I said as our bodies collided.

"Are you going to dance with me?" She asked excitedly.

"You know I don't dance." I said into her, wanting her to be able to hear me.

"I know, but it's my _birthday!_" She responded, keeping her arms around my neck but pulling back far enough to give me a pouty face.

I knew Bella well enough to know that she wasn't actually drunk, but she did seem a little…_happy drunk?_ Is that possible? If so, I think she was. She was uncharacteristically giddy and exuberant. And I was just glad to see that she was having a good time.

"If a slow song comes on then I'll come dance with you. How about that?"

"Why would a slow song come on? I'm sure this is a playlist of party music." She answered, playing with the hair at the back of my neck.

I opened my mouth to answer her, but before any words came out I noticed the same guy that had been checking her out a moment ago now doing so again. The fact that he had the nerve to so blatantly stare at her ass even as she stood in my arms really irritated me. I sighed and moved my hands from her waist down her sides, trying to push her dress a little further down her thighs.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to cover up your ass." I explained.

"My ass _is _covered up."

"Barely" I answered.

"Excuse me?"

I sighed again and kissed her forehead.

"I'm sorry. I guess I'm just feeling particularly protective tonight. I suppose listening to you giggle with your ex-boyfriend and watching other guys check you out doesn't suit me very well."

She looked at me blankly for a moment and then started laughing.

"Oh, Edward…"

"What? What's funny?"

"You're _jealous?_ Of _Jake?_"

"I never said that I was jealous." I said, surprising myself by how defensive I sounded.

Her laughter died out and she pushed herself forward a little, rubbing up against me.

"Come here." She said seductively, using her arms around my neck to pull my head down low enough so that her lips were right at my ear. "All of these guys are _boys_. I only want you." She said, punctuating her sentence with an open-mouthed kiss behind my ear.

"You better stop that unless you want me to pop a boner in the middle of these people." I answered, feeling her hips grind against mine.

She ignored me and pulled back far enough to look at me again.

"You know, if you would just dance with me…then all of these people would know that I belong to you."

"I think that little show of rubbing up on me did a pretty good job of letting these people know who you're with." I answered.

She sighed and let go of me.

"Suit yourself. But _I'm_ going to go dance. And you can't get jealous if you're not out there staking your claim on me."

And with that, my sexy little vixen turned and walked away, leaving me with a half mass hard on.

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**BPOV**

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I think I seriously danced for a couple of hours straight before I decided to take a break. Shortly after my little encounter on the dance floor with Edward, Alice came to dance with Evan and I while Jasper went to stand with Edward and watch. I pretended not to notice Edward, but I could feel his eyes on me the whole time…and I loved it. Even when I did occasionally look over at him, he didn't look away and act like he hadn't been watching. He would just smile at me and let his eyes rake up and down my body, making me feel like the sexiest girl in the world.

But once Alice and I saw our guys disappear into the kitchen for another drink for the third time, we decided to take a break and follow after them. However, once we got to the alcohol, the only one of them we found was Jasper.

"Hey, where's Edward?" I asked him as we approached.

"I don't know." He answered, looking around. "He was just a minute ago." He added with a shrug.

I brushed it off and grabbed a water bottle, feeling more dehydrated than parched.

As I began to chug down my water, I noticed Rosalie and Emmett sitting together at the kitchen table talking. And then I realized that I hadn't seen Rosalie dance at all that night…and Rosalie was the _queen_ of dancing. I smiled to myself, happy that she seemed to have been with Emmett all night long. Seeing her smile and laugh with him made me happy, because _she_ seemed happy.

After my second water bottle, I really had to pee. So I booked it to the downstairs hallway bathroom only to find a ridiculously long line outside of the door. I wasn't about to wait in line when I could just go use the bathroom in Edward's room, so that's exactly what I went to do. I made my way down the long hallway to the master bedroom and opened the door, glad to find it unlocked. I wasn't sure if it would be considering that Edward probably didn't want people in there.

As I walked into the bedroom and turned to enter the double doors to the bathroom, I was surprised to see Edward. He was knelt down rummaging through the cabinet under his sink, seemingly looking for something.

"Hey, what are you doing in here?" I asked.

He jumped a little in surprise when I spoke, but smiled when he looked up and saw me.

"Oh, somebody cut their finger cutting up a lime for their beer. I was just getting a Band-Aid."

"Oh."

"What are _you_ doing in here?" He asked.

"I really had to pee and I didn't want to wait in line."

"Ah, I see." He responded.

I walked past him and into the adjoining toilet area, closing the door softly behind me. As I took care of business, I thought back to earlier with Edward and his little moment of jealousy.

After exiting the toilet are, I went to wash my hands at the sink the spare sink which had pretty much become my own. Edward was still rummaging around in the cabinet as I looked over at him, biting my lip.

"You know, if you didn't want Jake to come tonight…you should have just said something. I wouldn't have been mad."

He paused in his search and looked up at me.

"What makes you think that I don't want him here?"

"It just seemed like you weren't happy about seeing me talking him to earlier."

He sighed and stood up, walking over towards me.

"I'm sorry. I hope you know that I wasn't mad at you or anything. I mean, I told him that I was okay with you inviting him and I meant that. I really wanted you to be able to invite all of your friends, even the ones that came from Forks. I guess I just got a little territorial knowing that you two used to date."

"It's okay." I said with a shrug, now drying my hands. "But you _did_ go a little overboard when you started yanking my dress down."

He laughed and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me up against him roughly. "I just don't like other people looking at what's mine." He playfully growled into my ear, hands settling firmly on my ass cheeks. "And I knew the moment that I saw you in that dress that every guy at this party wouldn't be able to keep his eyes off of you." He placed a hot, searing, open mouthed kiss on my neck. "But that ass is _mine_, and I don't want anybody else looking at it."

He started kissing along my neck and I instinctively lifted my hands to run my fingers through his hair.

"You're right." I answered softly. "It _is_ yours…only yours. Which is why you don't have to waste your time being jealous. You have nothing to worry about."

"Well obviously I trust you." He said, pausing in the sucking that he'd been doing on my neck. "But neither of us can stop other guys from looking. And I don't like that."

Once he was done speaking he returned to sucking on my neck, harder than before, and I couldn't suppress the slight moan that escaped me.

"How can you even want to do that right now?" I asked, referring to his mouth on me. "I'm so gross and sweaty from dancing…"

"Are you kidding? You look amazing, all flushed and glistening. You've never looked sexier, baby."

"You know, I can't deny that you're kind of sexy when you get all territorial like this. I don't think I've ever seen this side of you before. But like I said, if you wanted to make some kind of claim on me, you should have just danced with me."

He laughed huskily in my ear and squeezed my ass.

"I don't have to be in a room full of people to show you that you are most definitely mine. I can do that right here."

"I thought we already established that I am very aware that I'm yours." I answered, smiling.

"Yeah, well, maybe you need a reminder." He retorted, fisting the hemline of my dress in his hands and shoving it up around my waist.

"Or maybe you're just looking for an excuse to fuck me." I said into his ear.

He moaned and lifted his head, moving his lips swiftly from my neck to my mouth. I instantly felt his tongue against mine, needy and insistent. And then next thing I knew, his hands on my ass were lifting me up so that my legs were wrapped around his waist.

The way he was kissing me had me so distracted, I wasn't even aware that we were moving until he had tossed me down onto the bed. I was left lying there, panting, and staring up Edward's eyes full of lust. I was positioned so that I was lying sideways on the bed with my hips at the very edge. Edward was standing in front of me. As if his intentions weren't clear before, they certainly were when his hands pushed my dress up further so that the hem was now right below my breasts.

"Edward, we can't do this now." I said, giggling.

"Why not?" He asked as his hands began to unbuckle his belt.

"Because we're in the middle of my birthday party!"

"So? It's your party. You can have sex if you want to." He said with a crooked grin, now free of his pants.

"What if somebody hears us?" I asked, biting my lip as I watched him take off his shirt.

"Are you kidding? The music is so loud out there. Nobody will hear us."

"Are you sure? We both know I can be a screamer…"

He laughed and moved his hands to rest on my knees, now clad in only his boxers.

"You know, I'm starting to think you don't want me."

Not it was my turn to laugh as I lifted my hands to move my hair out from under me and sling it over my shoulder.

"Maybe I just want to get back to my party. I was having a good time dancing." I teased. "And what about the girl who needed the band-aid?"

"Fuck the girl who needed the band-aid. She'll survive."

He moved his hands to my hips where he gripped the sides of my thong, pulling it off at a maddeningly slow pace. I smiled as his fingertips brushed lightly over my thighs, waves of excitement and anticipation flowing through me. He had to pull the panties over my shoes to get them off, reminding me that I was still wearing my heels. I moved to kick them off as he dropped my thong on the ground, but then his hands moved to my ankles to hold me in place.

"Leave them on. They're sexy as hell." He said huskily.

His hand ghosted up from my ankle to my thigh, sliding slowly into place between my legs. He stroked my lower lips gently and then slid one finger up my folds between them, his face breaking into a big smile as he did.

"Look at you trying to pretend you don't want me. I think you're pussy disagrees, baby. You're so wet…"

I moaned as my hips twitched up towards his hand.

"Fine, I'm a liar." I breathed. "I want you."

He withdrew his hand, making my whimper in protest, and moved to shimmy out of his boxers. I moved my legs apart slightly so I could look down between them and watch his erection spring free. I started to move my legs apart so that he could settle between them, but he stopped me yet again.

"What?" I asked.

"Not like that." Was the only response he gave me.

I caught on to what he meant when he took both of my legs and moved them to one side of his body, bent slightly at my knees. I hooked them around his hip and he inched forward until he was lined up perfect at my entrance.

"Mm…we've never done it like this before." I said as he caught one of my hands with his own and laced our fingers together.

"You're gonna like it, trust me."

And like it I did.

I moaned loudly as he pushed into me. The angle felt amazing. He started thrusting into me roughly right off the bat and I squeezed his hand in mine in response.

"You like that?" He asked, breathing heavily.

"Yeah…it feels so good…"

"You're so tight like this…"

"Edward…"

He leaned forward over me, still holding one of my hands and supporting his weight with the opposite forearm. He moved until his forehead was touching mine and our noses were brushing together. I lifted my free hand to wrap around the side of his neck and looked straight into his eyes as he looked back into mine.

"I love you." He whispered, taking my lower lip between his and sucking on it before I could answer.

We stayed in that position for a long time, staring into each other's eyes and moaning into each other's mouths. But as our moans got louder and we became needier, Edward needed more leverage to thrust faster. So he stood up straight again, still holding my hand in one hand and my thigh with the other. As he started thrusting faster and harder, he broke our eye contact to look down between us and watch himself slide in and out of me.

"Edward…ugh…" I kept moaning continuously.

I closed my eyes and moaned louder when I felt him start to rub my clit. And that's what set me off. Heat spread through me like fire, igniting my veins. My orgasm rolled through me…and then a second one did the same right after that one had subsided. I heard Edward groan and he squeezed my as he came as well.

Once we were both finished, he leaned forward once again and nuzzled his face into my neck. I smiled and kissed the side of his head, lightly running my nails up and down his back.

"I don't want to go back out there." He whispered. "Let's just stay here all night…wrapped up in each other."

"It's my birthday party, baby. I can't just disappear. But we have all night to be together."

He sighed and turned his head to the side, kissing my lips softly.

"I guess I should go get that girl her band-aid." He said, smiling against my mouth.

"I'm assuming she's already taken care of it." I said, laughing with him.

"Well I should probably go check on her anyway…and make sure nobody is destroying my house at there."

"Yeah, probably so."

"Hey, why didn't you answer my texts earlier?"

"Oh, I left my phone here. In the kitchen. You didn't find it?"

"Oh, yeah, that's right. I forgot that Alice said she found it when they were setting up." He said as he pulled out of me and stood up. "She said she was going to put it in the dresser drawer so it wouldn't get lost."

"Oh, okay." I said, standing up as well. "I should probably check my messages. I'm sure I'll have happy birthday messages from family and stuff."

"Yeah, I'm sure your parents have tried to call."

I went to use the bathroom and clean myself up a bit. When I came back, Edward was dressed again.

"I'm gonna go make sure everything is going okay out there, alright?" He asked, coming over to me.

"Yeah, okay. I'm just gonna check my phone and then I'll come back out."

"Okay, baby."

He pecked my lips quickly and then left the room, shutting the door behind them.

I dressed myself, tamed my hair a little bit, and then went to get my phone. I had five voicemails and twenty one text messages. I sat down on the bed to listen to the voicemails first.

"_First unheard message."_ Said the computerized voice, followed by my father's. "_Hey Bella, it's Dad. I know you probably had big plans for your birthday, so you're probably busy. But I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday and let you know that I'm thinking about you and I love you. I moved some money over into your checking account 'cause I had no idea what to get you. And I know you prefer picking out your own gifts, so maybe you can take Alice and Rosalie with you to pick something out. Anyway, I guess I'll try you back later. Or you can just call me whenever you get a minute. Have a great day, hun. I'll talk to you later on. I love you."_

I smiled as my Dad's message ended, missing him, and went on to the next message.

"_Hi, this is Laura from Pullman Regional Hospital calling for Isabella Swan. I have information regarding results from your bone marrow compatibility test. You indicated in your paperwork that it was alright for us to discuss this information via voicemail. Unfortunately, Ms. Swan, I have to inform you that you are not a compatible match for the patient in question, Nathan Mallory. However, at this time, you are not considered a compatible match for any patient in regards to this particular procedure. The blood work that we did on you came back positive for pregnancy. I'm not sure if you're aware or if this was explained to you properly when you came in for testing, but pregnant women are not eligible for donating bone marrow. Unfortunately, you were not a match for this particular patient regardless, but I'm obligated to explain to you all of your test results. If you have any questions or would like to discuss your results further, you can contact me during regular business hours at five oh nine, three three eight, six two seven nine. Thank you."_

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**A/N: I know. I'm evil. Big cliffy. Too bad…**

**Anyway, I'm not sure EXACTLY when the next update will be, but I promise it will not take as long as this one did provided that you guys show me some more love (which you are very good at)**

**ALSO, take into consideration that my chapters are like three times longer than the average chapters on fanfiction so yeah, they take longer to write too.**

**I'm really nervous that I'm going to have lost some readers due to my long absence but I REALLY REALLY hope that's not the case. So let me know if you're still reading and if you liked the chapter because I'm feeling a little rusty!**

**Oh, and MOST IMPORTANTLY! I KNOW that a lot of you didn't want Bella to get pregnant, but you all know by now that I'm big and staying true to myself and what I intended for this story to be. I always planned on Bella getting pregnant so that's just the way it's going to be, okay? If you don't like it, you don't have to read any more from here on it, but please, PLEASE, I BEG OF YOU, don't bitch to me about it. It's just going to upset me. **

**To everyone who asked, baby Max is doing wonderfully. **

**Yes, My Life as a Trophy Wife WILL be updated. Hopefully soon, as with this one.**

**I hope you all had a merry Christmas and a happy new year. I know I did. **

**Glad to be back, hope you all are just as glad to have me.**

**Jenna**


	30. Devastated

**A/N:**

**I don't own twilight. **

**I truly am sorry for the delay again. RL has been kicking my ass…**

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_**(Previously…)**_

"_Hi, this is Laura from Pullman Regional Hospital calling for Isabella Swan. I have information regarding results from your bone marrow compatibility test. You indicated in your paperwork that it was alright for us to discuss this information via voicemail. Unfortunately, Ms. Swan, I have to inform you that you are not a compatible match for the patient in question, Nathan Mallory. However, at this time, you are not considered a compatible match for any patient in regards to this particular procedure. The blood work that we did on you came back positive for pregnancy. I'm not sure if you're aware or if this was explained to you properly when you came in for testing, but pregnant women are not eligible for donating bone marrow. Unfortunately, you were not a match for this particular patient regardless, but I'm obligated to explain to you all of your test results. If you have any questions or would like to discuss your results further, you can contact me during regular business hours at five oh nine, three three eight, six two seven nine. Thank you."_

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**BPOV**

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There must be some kind of mix up. I mean, obviously, right? I was on birth control. There was no logical way that I could be pregnant. That thought, however, didn't stop my stomach from dropping. Maybe my subconscious was telling me that I was wrong.

I'm not sure how long I sat there. Yet no matter how many minutes passed, the information I had just received wouldn't seem to sink in.

_Pregnant? Me? That's impossible. Right?_

I swallowed hard when I realized that my hands were shaking. Then I noticed that my cell phone was on the floor in front of me. Strange. Did I drop it? I certainly didn't remember doing so. I moved to stand up and retrieve it, but sat right back down after being hit with a wave of vertigo. Then I was suddenly aware that my heart was racing and my palms were sweating. I hadn't noticed before that I was feeling numb, but I started to catch on when each one of my senses slowly returned to me.

A sudden banging caught my attention and I turned my head to the side to look at the door, where the sound was coming from.

"Bella? Are you still in there? What are you doing?" Said Rosalie's questioning voice.

I opened my mouth to answer her, but sound refused to come out.

"I know you're not getting birthday sex. I just saw Edward in the kitchen. He was wondering where you were too."

_Oh, God. Edward. _

How was I going to tell him about this? What would I say? I suddenly started feeling nauseous. Was this really happening?

"Bella, come on. Alice and I want you to blow out your candles now."

I opened my mouth again to answer, and although sound came out this time, all I could manage was a hoarse squeak.

"Alright, I'm coming in."

Sure enough, a split second later the door swung open and Rosalie appeared in the doorway. I watched her approach me, but everything in front of me was kind of blurry, almost like a dream. A clung to that thought desperately. Maybe this was just a dream. Maybe a fell asleep after Edward had left the room, and this was just some twisted nightmare.

"Bella? Holy shit, you look like you just saw a ghost. Are you okay?"

"Is this real?" I managed to ask, although it was only a whisper.

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm not dreaming?"

"Bella, what's going on? You're scaring me. What happened?"

"I…I…" I stuttered, searching for the words I couldn't bring myself to believe, much less say.

"Okay, I don't know what's going on, but just…hold on. I'm going to go get Edward."

"No!" I yelped, louder than I meant to. "I mean, no, please. I'm okay."

For once, I didn't want to see Edward. I didn't know what I would say to him. I didn't even know what to think yet.

"Bella, you are clearly _not_ fine."

I looked up at her with what I could feel was wide eyes.

"Rose…" I croaked out.

"Bella, I'm serious. You're scaring me. Please just tell me what is going on."

I swallowed hard again and felt the thickness in my throat. There was no way I could tell her. I couldn't say it out loud. I felt like I was physically incapable of doing so.

"Give me my phone." I whispered.

"Forget about your damn phone, Bella. Tell me what's going on."

"I'm going to show you. Just give me my phone." I answered.

She sighed impatiently and went to retrieve my phone from the carpet in front of me, handing it to me hastily. I took it from her and, with shaking hands, pulled up the distressing voicemail. I pressed the play button and held the phone out to her. She looked confused for a moment but then took it and held it up to her ear.

At first her expression was unchanging; the same anxious and curious look on her face. I knew, however, the exact moment that she heard what I had intended her to.

I literally watched the color drain from her face.

Her eyes widened and her hand immediately flew up to cover her mouth.

"Holy shit, Bella!" She squealed, voice muffled from her hand.

"It has to be a mistake." I said quickly. "I'm on birth control. I can't be…you know…"

She put my phone down and then set down on the bed next to me, looking at me with eyes full of concern.

"Have you been taking it every day?"

"Yes. I've been on a new one and I know for a fact that I haven't missed one pill of it. And I take it at the same time every day." I told her.

"Wait, you switched birth control pills?"

"Yeah, not that long ago. Why?"

She swallowed and her eyes furrowed together slightly.

"Bella, when you switch birth control…your body has to adjust to the different hormones. There's a gap in between where it's really not even effective. If you weren't using condoms or anything, you were pretty much having unprotected sex."

"What?" I asked, feeling like I had just been punched in the stomach.

"You're doctor didn't tell you?"

"No." I croaked.

I took a deep breath, more like a dry sob, and felt my upper body heave. I felt like I couldn't breathe. At least before, I had been able to cling on to the hope that this was all a mistake. It didn't make sense. But now, with Rosalie's information, it _did_ make sense.

"Are you sure you don't want me to go and get Edward?"

"Yes, I'm sure." I said shakily. "I can't face him. I-I don't know what I would say."

"Okay." She said, although she sounded unsure.

"I want to go home."

"Okay." Rosalie answered, nodding with a sympathetic look on her face.

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**EPOV**

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"Have you seen Bella?" I asked Emmett.

It had been quite a while since our quickie in my bedroom, and I hadn't seen her since.

"No, dude, I haven't. Rosalie just went to go get her though so I'm sure they're around here somewhere."

I opened my mouth to respond, but then was distracted by a hand on my shoulder. I turned around and was glad to see it was Rosalie, trying to get my attention.

"Hey, where's Bella?" I asked her.

"Uh, actually…Bella's not feeling well. I think I'm just going to take her home."

"I was with her just a little while ago and she seemed totally fine." I said, confused.

She _had_ seemed totally fine to me. Hell, we'd just had amazing sex. What could be wrong with her?

"What?" Alice screeched. "She can't leave her own party! She hasn't even blown out her candles yet!"

Rosalie turned to Alice and gave her a look that was clearly intended to convey to her that she should drop it.

"Bella was going to stay here tonight." I said. "She already brought all of her stuff over."

"Yeah, I know. I'll make sure we take it home with us." Rosalie said dismissively.

"Well, why can't she just stay here?" I asked, still confused. "I mean, I can take care of her."

"Of course you can." Rosalie said with a soft smile. "But I think she just wants to be in her own quiet room right now. She really doesn't feel good."

The look that Rosalie was giving me made me uneasy. Her expression resembled one of sympathy, yet I had no idea what in the world she had to sympathize with me for.

"How are you going to get home?" Emmett asked. "You've been drinking."

"We're going to call a cab. Actually, would you mind calling one for us?" Rosalie asked, directed at me. "I'm going to go help Bella go and get her stuff together."

"Um, yeah, okay?" I said, although it came out more like a question.

"Great, thanks." She said, walking away from me before I even had the chance to answer.

I didn't _want_ to agree to call a cab to take Bella and Rosalie home, but I was so blindsided I didn't know what else to say other than okay. Besides, if Bella did want to leave, that was her prerogative.

I fought my way back through the crowd of people to get to my kitchen and find a phone book. I dialed the first cab service listed and arranged for a cab to come out to the house. After getting that task out of the way, my next priority was to find Bella. Regardless of if she wanted to leave or not, I at least needed to make sure she was okay. Throwing myself into the crowd of people once again, I slowly worked my way back into the living room I was on my way to my bedroom when something caught my attention at the front door. Bella was on her way out front, being ushered by a frenzied looking Rosalie.

_What the hell? She wasn't even going to say goodnight to me?_

The entire situation just didn't make sense to me. I'd seen Bella less than an hour early, and she had seemed totally fine to me. She had been acting like her normal, playful self. Then I leave her to get dressed and next thing I know she's storming out of the house with Rosalie, not even bothering to give me some sort of explanation. What had happened? Did I do or say something to upset her? Was she mad at me? If so, why didn't she just confront me about it? I mean, if I'd done or said something terrible, surely I would be able to determine what it was. Right?

I sighed and changed direction, instead making my way towards the front door. By the time I emerged outside, Bella and Rosalie had already made it down the walkway to the driveway.

"Bella!" I called out as I hurriedly walked over to them.

She whipped around to face me and I was actually a little taken aback by the look on her face. She looked…_afraid._ What in the world was she afraid of? Was she afraid of _me_? That just didn't make any sense. In fact, this whole situation just seemed to get more and more confusing by the second.

"Did you call us a cab?" Rosalie asked.

"Yeah, but, Bella…what the hell is going on? You were just going to leave without even saying goodbye to me?"

Bella turned to look at Rosalie with wide eyes that seemed to be unsure of something. I stood there looking at them for what felt like forever.

"Um, Rose, can you just…give us a minute?" Bella finally asked in a small and timid voice.

"Yeah." Rosalie said, giving her friend a small smile. "Sure. I'm just going to go say goodnight to Emmett."

"Okay." Bella said in a whisper.

She sighed and finally looked back over at me, looking like a little kid who had just been caught doing something wrong.

"I'm sorry." She said slowly. "I just don't feel well and I just wanted to go home."

"Why?" I asked, stepping towards her and partially closing the distance between us. "You don't want to stay with me? I mean, it's your birthday…"

"I don't feel well." She repeated.

"Well, what's wrong?" I asked.

She hesitated a brief moment.

"My stomach. I feel nauseous."

"So you have to go home? You can still stay with me. I can take care of you. We can lock ourselves away in my room and I'll leave Jasper to deal with the party. Or, I mean, if you really want to go home…I could go with you. Emmett and Jasper can take care of everything here."

I paused and closed the remaining distance between us. I stood in front of her and wrapped one arm around her waist while the other went to hold the back of her neck. I lowered my forehead to hers and she closed her eyes, her breath hitching just slightly.

"I just don't want to be apart on your birthday." I whispered. "I don't want to be apart ever, but especially not tonight."

She opened her eyes to look up at me and I pulled my head away from hers just slightly to look back at her. I don't know what it was that she saw in my face, but whatever it was had _some_ effect on her. For a second her expression shifted to a curious one that seemed to resemble agony, but then it suddenly softened. She lifted her hand to gently rest against my face, her palm on my cheek, and I know that I leaned in to her touch instinctively.

"Alright, I'm ready." Rosalie announced as she approached us, I think mostly just as a way to make her return known.

"I'm staying." Bella said, still looking at me.

"Are you sure?" Rosalie asked, sounding wary.

"Yes." Bella said, turning to look at her. "I need to be here…with him." She said, whispering the last part.

I'm sure I smiled widely, because I was overjoyed that she was staying.

"Okay." Rosalie answered, nodding. "Whatever you want to do."

Bella nodded and turned back to me.

"I really do just want to go straight to be, though." She said softly.

"What about the cab?" Rosalie asked.

"Here," I said, taking out my wallet and fishing out a twenty. "Just give him a twenty when he gets here. That should cover his way here. I'm gonna go take Bella to my room."

"Okay." Rosalie said, taking the money from me.

Before I'd even finished my sentence, Bella was already silently making her way back up to the front door. She didn't wait for me to follow or anything. Once she was inside, I turned to Rosalie.

"Did I…do something?" I asked. "I mean, is she mad at me?"

"Of course not. She just doesn't feel well."

"She's just acting so weird. If I did something or said something to upset her, you would tell me, right?"

Rosalie bit her lip and gave me a sad look, almost as if she felt bad for me. That frustrated me. If Bella's funk wasn't my fault, why was Rosalie looking at me that way? After a moment she came over to me, lightly placing her hand on my shoulder.

"It's not you. I promise."

_Well if it's not me, what the hell is it?_

By that point I was frustrated and confused and really just wanted to get back to Bella.

"If you say so. I'm gonna go back inside and be with Bella."

"Alright. I guess I'll stay here and wait to pay the cab." She answered.

"Okay, thanks."

I wasted no time getting back inside but before I could go take care of Bella, I needed to find Jasper and Emmett. It took a few minutes to spot them, but once I did I forcefully pushed my way over to them through the people.

"Hey" I said, putting my hand on Emmett's shoulder to get his attention.

"Oh, hey dude, what's up?" He answered as he and Jasper both turned to look at me.

"I convinced Bella to stay the night here but she just wants to go to bed I guess. So I'm going to go try to take care of her or whatever. Can you guys just keep an eye on everything out here? Make sure nothing gets out of hand?"

"Yeah, we've got it. Don't worry." Jasper answered.

"Thanks." I said, giving them an appreciative smile and leaving for my bedroom.

When I got to my room, Bella was already in bed. The room was only illuminated by the lamp on my side of the bed. She had changed into one of my T shirts, but hadn't bothered taking down her hair or even removing her makeup. She was on her side and facing away from me. I locked the door and quickly shed my shirt followed by my pants, tossing them on a chair in the corner and then going to slip on some sweatpants.

I slid into bed and then scooted up behind Bella, draping my arm over her waist and pulling her against me. I could tell from her breathing that she was awake, but she didn't respond to me in the way that she normally would. Normally she would have rolled over to face me, nuzzling her face into my neck. But not this time. If anything, she only tensed at my touch.

Now that I had convinced her to stay with me, I was more concerned with what was wrong with her. If she was simply sick like she claimed, then I wanted to know with what. I wanted to know what her symptoms were and what the fuck I could do to make it better.

"I'm sorry you don't feel well, baby." I whispered, kissing the back of her neck.

"Thanks." She said softly.

"Is it just your stomach that's bothering you?"

"Yeah."

"Do you think it's something you ate?"

"I don't know."

"Is there anything I can do to make you feel better? Can I get you anything?"

"No. I don't think so."

"I wish you didn't feel bad on your birthday."

"Yeah." She whispered.

I sighed, her short answers not going unnoticed by me. The room was relatively quiet, enough that I could focus on her breathing, but I could still here the muffled music through the walls. I wondered if it bothered her.

"I guess I should have suggested we go to your place instead. I didn't think about it being too loud. I just knew that I didn't want to be without you tonight."

"It's fine." She answered quietly.

"Do you want me to stop talking?" I asked, wondering if I was annoying her.

She hesitated, taking a few moments to answer.

"Yeah." She finally responded softly.

I nodded and after kissing the back of her neck again, I gave her the silence that she wanted.

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I woke up in the morning with my arm still around Bella, who was still breathing heavily will sleep. I lay there silently and played with her hair for a few minutes, thinking about the events of the previous night.

Everything had happened so quickly, I still really didn't even know what had gone on. It all seemed like a blur, actually.

But all I could do now was be optimistic about a new day and hope that whatever weirdness was going on with Bella had subsided.

A few minutes turned into an hour and I decided to wake Bella up. I wanted to spend some time with her and make sure everything was okay between us before I had to go pick up Chelsea.

"Baby…" I whispered, rubbing my hand lightly up and down her arm.

She stirred a little but still didn't seem to be awake.

"Bella" I said, moving some of her hair so I could kiss behind her ear.

Her deep breathing stopped and she was quiet for a moment before letting out a soft sigh. She rolled over onto her back and I rolled her the rest of the way over to face me. She still had her eyes closed but she looked just as adorable as she always did when she woke up, making me smile.

"Good morning, beautiful." I said, pulling her against my chest and kissing her forehead.

"Hi" She mumbled softly.

I hooked my right hand behind the knee of her top leg and lifted it up so that her leg was hitched over my hip. I knew she loved cuddling first thing in the morning, and I was eager to oblige anything she might want after last night. Craving her closeness, I moved her hair out of the way and nuzzled my face into her neck. I kissed her skin there and used my tongue to taste her sweetness.

Being a man, it only took me about two minutes with Bella's leg hitched over my hip, and therefore my cock effectively nestled between her legs, to get a hard on. Wanting to see if she was receptive to what my dick had in mind, I experimentally rotated my hips against her to provide the kind of pressure I knew she liked on her center. Getting no reaction from her, negative or positive, I decided to keep going. She had only been sleeping in my T shirt and her panties, so I had fairly easy access. I slid my hand around her waist to her lower back and from there down into her underwear until my hand rested on her bare ass. I palmed it gently, pulling her tighter up against me as I did.

"Edward, stop…" She whispered.

_I guess sex is out of the question._

I think that was the first time she had ever turned me down, but that was okay. My dick could wait. I just wanted to be close to her, because after last night, I was feeling pretty distant.

I pulled my hand out of her underwear and placed it once again on her lower back. I brushed the tip of my nose along the length of her jaw and then kissed her cheek softly.

"What's wrong, baby?" I asked.

"Stop it!" She said, pushing against my chest forcefully.

_What the fuck_?

I pulled back immediately, scooting away from her so that we were no longer touching. Her eyes were wide and for some reason almost surprised looking. I didn't know to say because I really didn't even know what the hell had just happened.

"Bella, I…I wasn't trying to force myself on you or anything like that. I was jus –"

"No. It's me. I'm sorry." She said, suddenly jumping up out of the bed and hurriedly walking into my bathroom.

I lifted my hand to scratch the back of my neck, frustrated and confused. There was only so much I could do with Bella continuously pushing me away. I shook my head, sighed, and got out of bed. Bella had never acted this way before, so I had absolutely no reference point as to what in the hell may be going on with her. She had said that she was sick last night, but I knew her well enough to know that there was something else going on. I was fairly certain that I hadn't done anything to make her mad at me, but I still had absolutely no clue where this tension between us was coming from.

Bella still in the bathroom, I decided to go check how much damage had been done to my house from the party. I was hoping to get most of it cleaned up before I picked up Chelsea, so I might as well get started.

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**BPOV**

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I was beyond denial at this point. Now, I was just a fucking mess.

I had suggested to Rosalie the previous night that maybe once we left the party I should take a pregnancy test. She said that she would get me one if it would make me feel better, but that she didn't think it was necessary. I quickly agreed with her. I hospital blood test, which is what my results were from, is as accurate as it gets. There was really no need for a cheap and less dependable at home test kit.

Even though I had no longer felt the need to take a test, I had still wanted to go home at that point. I was scared to face Edward and I didn't know how to act around him. I didn't feel ready to face reality and I wasn't even totally sure how _I _felt about all of it yet.

But my resolve quickly changed as soon as I came face to face with him. When he confronted me outside, I could see the worry and confusion in his eyes. And I knew I had to stay. I needed to be with him, and I didn't want to hurt him or confuse him even further by leaving. Obviously, he had no idea what was going on with me. His visible worry only seemed to increase by the minute, and I felt horrible for putting him in that position. This whole thing involved him just as much as it did me, and I knew I couldn't keep it from him for long. Actually, I didn't _want_ to keep it from him. In fact, I actually craved his comfort and support. I suppose I had sort of pushed him away in bed that morning when he had tried to do just that, but I couldn't accept his comfort when I hadn't told him what was going on yet. It literally made me sick to my stomach to be close with him like that when I was keeping this huge piece of detrimental news bottled inside. I didn't want to feel him try to soothe me until he knew everything. It just didn't feel right.

I finished up in the bathroom and went back into Edward's bedroom. He was gone, so I followed in his path out of the open bedroom door.

I found him in the living room, holding a big black trash bag and filling with the left over scattered plastic cups from the party the previous night. I stopped in the doorway and watched him.

"Hey" I said quietly, catching his attention.

He turned around and glanced at me briefly before returning to the plastic cups.

"Hey" He answered.

"I'm sorry." I said, feeling bad for both literally and metaphorically pushing him away in bed.

"It's okay."

Suddenly, all of my emotions boiled over. I think that was the moment that everything finally hit me. It was the first time that I had accepted all of this as real. I was barely nineteen, a freshman in college, and pregnant with a _very_ unplanned baby.

"E-Edward…" I sobbed, bursting into tears.

He looked over at me again, and this time his look frustration immediately dissolved into one of worry instead. He put the trash bag down and went to sit on the couch, only a few feet away.

"Bella, come here." He said, touching the couch next to him.

I went to sit next to him, still crying and overwhelmed with emotion. He put his hand on my leg and gave me one of the most serious looks I'd ever gotten from him.

"Bella, you have to tell me what's going on. I'm worried about you. And I know that this is more than you being sick."

"I-I have to t-tell you s-something." I choked out, putting a shaky hand over his.

"What is it?" He asked, searching my eyes.

"L-last night, a-after you l-left me in y-your room…I ch-checked all of m-my v-voicemails."

"Okay…" He said, still confused.

"A-and I h-had a v-voicemail from t-the hospital a-about my t-test results."

"What? You weren't a match for Nathan? That's why you're upset?"

"N-no, it's not t-that. I wasn't a m-match. But there's m-more."

"What, baby?" He asked, growing anxious.

"They blood t-test s-said that I'm…" I trailed off, finding it hard to say the words out loud.

"What, Bella?"

I looked into his eyes and took a deep breath, preparing myself to say the words that I knew would change our lives forever.

"I'm p-pregnant, Edward."

He snatched his hand off of my leg and recoiled away from me as if I'd just slapped him. For a long time he just looked at me, and this time I couldn't identify the look on his face. As his eyes bore down into mine, I only began to cry harder. I desperately wanted him to hold me and kiss me and tell me that everything was going to be okay, but he wasn't. He was just _staring_ at me.

"E-edward…b-baby, s-say something…" I pleaded.

He didn't.

He looked away from me, now facing forward again, and slowly lifted his hand to his chin. He swallowed hard and then licked his lips, still with an unreadable expression. My eyes followed him as he stood up, searching for any indication of what he was thinking. He walked over to the window and stood there, his back to me, staring outside. I really don't know how much time went by after that. It seemed like forever. I chewed on my bottom lip as I watched him, feeling like a nervous wreck.

"Edward?" I finally asked in whimper after a long time of silence.

"I can't believe this is happening to me again." He said softly, not even turning to look at me.

I felt like I had been kicked in my stomach.

Again? Right. He had been through this before. This was just like Tanya to him. _I_ was just like Tanya to him. I hadn't realized before that I was actually hoping Edward would be _happy_ about this. Even though I wasn't sure if I was, Edward being happy would have made things a lot easier. I didn't realize that was something I had been hoping for until it was clear that Edward was definitely _not_ happy.

Now I could identify the look that had been on his face. It was devastation.

I needed to be anywhere other than in that room. I needed to be anywhere other than in that house. I didn't even bother getting together all of my stuff. I searched through Edward's room frantically until I found my keys, and then I was out of there so fast it was a blur.

I don't know how it made it home, driving with eyes full of tears.

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**A/N:**

**I really related to Bella in this chapter. My son (he's already 6 months!) was unplanned. So I could understand what Bella would be feeling in this situation. **

**Someone reviewed I guess just to let me know that Bella's birthday is supposed to be in September and I'm supposedly wrong for making February tenth. If you haven't noticed, this story isn't Twilight. These characters have different personalities and yes, different birthdays. But thanks for your concern?**

**I'm sure this chapter was frustrating to some, but be patient! Next chapter will be Edward's POV and you will get insight as to what he is thinking (which will make a lot of sense even if it's not right now)**

**I promise our happy couple will make a return appearance very soon. Naturally, things had to get angsty for at least one chapter. That's just the way reality would be. **

**Jenn**

**P.S – look for a new Trophy Wife chappy soon!**


	31. Facing The Music Part 1

**A/N:**

**I don't own **_**Twilight**_** or any of its characters.**

**I truly appreciate the support of those who have stuck with me through this crazy time in my life. I really do hope you enjoy.**

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_**(Previously…)**_

_"Edward?" I finally asked in whimper after a long time of silence._

_"I can't believe this is happening to me again." He said softly, not even turning to look at me._

_I felt like I had been kicked in my stomach._

_Again? Right. He had been through this before. This was just like Tanya to him. __I__ was just like Tanya to him. I hadn't realized before that I was actually hoping Edward would be __happy__ about this. Even though I wasn't sure if I was, Edward being happy would have made things a lot easier. I didn't realize that was something I had been hoping for until it was clear that Edward was definitely __not__ happy._

_Now I could identify the look that had been on his face. It was devastation._

_I needed to be anywhere other than in that room. I needed to be anywhere other than in that house. I didn't even bother getting together all of my stuff. I searched through Edward's room frantically until I found my keys, and then I was out of there so fast it was a blur._

_I don't know how it made it home, driving with eyes full of tears._

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**EPOV**

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I couldn't bring myself to turn away from the window, so I wasn't aware that Bella was leaving until the front door slammed behind her. It didn't make a difference though. As much as I wanted to go after her, my body wouldn't budge. I felt like my feet had turned into weights, holding me in place.

Bella was pregnant.

I had gotten Bella pregnant.

It's not that I was _scared_. I wasn't _scared_ at all. I could handle a baby. I'd done it before, and I wasn't afraid of doing it again. I was more than financially stable. Supporting a child wasn't an issue. In fact, if circumstances with Bella had been right, I would be _ready_ for a baby. Emotionally, I was ready to take on another child. But that was the problem. Bella was obviously not ready. She was nineteen years old. She'd only been living out on her own for less than a year and she still wasn't even supporting herself, her dad was. From the sound of it, I was her first serious relationship. There's no way she was ready for a baby. And based on the way she was acting when she told me, she knew she wasn't ready. Actually, that was a vast understatement. Clearly, she was scared fucking shitless.

I hated seeing Bella that way, crying and clearly distraught. How could I allow myself to be happy about something that was obviously causing her turmoil?

After Tanya had Chelsea, she told me more than once that having a baby had ruined her life. And I _never_ wanted Bella to feel that way. I never wanted her to resent me that way. And I never wanted her to feel stuck. I wanted her to be able to do everything that she wanted to do before starting a family, and I never wanted that taken away from her.

But now it was.

My feelings for Bella were stronger than I'd ever felt for anyone. She was the love of my life, and I didn't even want to imagine having a family with anyone else. But if she wasn't ready, well, that could be detrimental to our relationship. And that, I _was_ afraid of.

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**(two days later)**

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.

The shitty hand that life was dealing me only seemed to get worse. In the days following Bella's birthday, I was working nonstop. I tried to call her any chance I got, but she had turned her phone off. Although it was unsettling that she seemingly didn't want me to contact her, I tried to stay calm. It was understandable that she might want some space to try to process things. At least, that's what I told myself.

That philosophy only lasted until Monday. Thursday had been Bella's birthday and Friday morning was when she ran out on me after telling me she was pregnant. Therefore, I had gone the entire weekend without talking to her. And it was hell. It was the longest that we had gone without speaking since we'd been together, and it was driving me crazy. So, although my attempts at calling her all weekend had been unsuccessful, I knew that I had to head straight to her apartment as soon as I left the hospital on Monday.

My determination, however, didn't make me any less of a nervous wreck. I was nervous as hell. Not because I didn't want to be having a baby with Bella, but because I didn't know how she was going to react after having the weekend to think about things. What if she didn't want to have this baby? What if thinking about having a baby with me had put things into perspective for her and she realized that she wasn't as serious about me as she thought she was? She _was_ barely nineteen for fucks sake. This couldn't possibly be something that she actually wanted right now.

As I left the hospital, the cheesy pink and red crepe paper decorations all over the place was a painful reminder of the date. It was Valentine's Day, a day that just a week ago I assumed Bella and I would be happily celebrating together.

I decided to make a pit stop at Starbucks on my way to Bella's. After my grueling work schedule over the weekend, I really needed some caffeine. I was exhausted and anxious to the point of borderline incoherence. Normally, I would have gone straight home and passed the fuck out. But I simply couldn't do that until I saw Bella.

On my way, I called Jasper. My mom had kept Chelsea all weekend, but Jasper had agreed to pick her up from preschool and keep her at his place until I could get her.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's me." I responded. "How's Chels?"

"She's fine. Glad to hear you survived the weekend. I really don't know how you deal with working those crazy hours."

As far as Jasper knew, it was just another crazy weekend of work for me. I hadn't confided in anyone about Bella being pregnant. I simply couldn't bear to discuss it without talking things through with her first. It didn't seem right. She was my partner, my teammate, and the only person that I wanted to discuss it with.

"Yeah, it was rough. Listen, would you mind terribly keeping Chelsea for just a little while longer?"

"Yeah, that's no problem. I'm not doing anything today. My plans with Alice aren't until late because she has to work."

"Okay, great, thanks. Can I talk to her for a second?"

"Sure, hold on."

After a few moments of silence, my angel's voice came ringing through the phone.

"Hi, Daddy!"

"Hey, sugar. Are you doing okay?" I asked, trying to sound as normal as possible for her despite my anxiety about things with Bella.

I swung into a parking space at Starbucks and shifted into park.

"Daddy, I have to ask you a question." She said seriously.

Only she could make me smile when I didn't think it was possible.

"What's that?"

"Can you be my Valentine? We had a Valentine party at preschool today and I made a real special Valentine but I didn't give it to anybody because you're my favoritest boy in the world and I wanted to save it for you. "

And just like that, I melted into a pathetic pussy. I don't know if it was the sentiment from my daughter, the stress and anxiety I was feeling about Bella being pregnant, or the sever exhaustion I was experiencing. But all of the sudden, I was an emotional mess. I'm not a crier, so I was totally blindsided by myself when I actually started to tear up. What the hell was happening to me?

"Daddy?"

"Yeah, sorry. I'm here, princess." I answered, wiping at my eyes.

"Did you hear what I said?"

"Yes, I heard you. I would love to be your Valentine, Chelsea. Nothing would make me happier."

"Good. I spent all my coloring time at preschool making it."

"You did?" I asked, wiping at my eyes again.

"Uh huh and I made one for Bella, too. But yours is biggest."

"That's sweet, honey. I'm sure it's beautiful. I can't wait to see it."

"When are you coming to get me?"

"I'm not sure. I have some things that I have to do first. Why? Are you okay? Do you miss me?" I asked, wanting to make sure that she wasn't getting too homesick after being gone all weekend.

"No. I just wanted to make sure that I get to play with uncle Jasper some before you come."

I laughed and shook my head. One second she was asking me to be her Valentine and the next she was telling me to take my time coming to get her so that she could play.

"Don't worry. You'll have plenty of time to play. I promise."

"Okay! Bye, Daddy!"

Before I even got the chance to answer, she had already handed the phone back off to Jasper.

"So, do you have big plans with Bella tonight?"

I hesitated, not wanting to get on that subject with him right now.

"I don't know. We're kind of fighting right now."

"Oh, really? Sorry, dude."

"Thanks. I'm actually about to stop by her place right now. We need to talk about some stuff."

"Okay, well, good luck. Give me a call if you need to talk about stuff or whatever."

"Thanks. I'll call you when I'm done."

"Alright, later."

I put my phone down and the first thing I did was rub my face with both hands. I was crying one minute and laughing the next. I was going batshit crazy. I really needed to get my coffee and get my ass to Bella's before losing my mind completely.

I was thankful to find that there was no line inside.

"Hi! What can I get for you this afternoon?" The barista asked in a way too cheery tone for my mood.

"Uh, what's the strongest drink you make?" I asked, rubbing my aching eyes.

"Um, I guess maybe the Caffe Americano. It has six shots of espresso in it. It's pretty strong."

"Yeah, okay, give me one of those." I said, fishing out my wallet.

"Iced or hot?"

"Hot, please."

"What size?"

"The biggest size you have."

"Alright, no problem."

I paid the bubbly girl and as soon as I got my drink I started chugging it down. It kind of tasted like shit, but I was desperate for the caffeine so I kept drinking it anyway.

As I was getting back into my car, I noticed that right next to Starbucks was a floral shop. Maybe I should take Bella flowers. I mean, it _was_ Valentine's day. Flowers seemed rather appropriate.

Ten minutes later, I was once again heading back towards my car. This time I now had one bouquet of a dozen red roses and another bouquet of a dozen pink roses. The red ones were for Bella and the pink were for Chelsea. I figured if we were going to be valentines, she deserved flowers too.

As I drove to Bella's apartment, I quickly realized that trying to plan out what I would say to her was a bad idea. That was only making me crazier. I had no idea what I would say, because I had no idea what kind of mindset she would be in when I got there. I would just have to see how things went and go with it. All I could be sure of was that I loved her and I would do everything in my power to get through this together. She was pregnant and there was no taking that back. Now we just needed to work on moving forward as best as we could.

Once I arrived at Bella's apartment complex, I tried to keep my mind clear as I ascended the steps up to her door. No matter what, I was confident in her love for me. And that was the most comforting thing to feel at the point.

I knocked softly on the front door and felt the nerves bubble in my stomach as it started to creak open. I sighed when I saw that it was Rosalie answering the door, not Bella.

"Oh, Edward, hey." She said, smiling at my warmly. "How are you?"

"I've been better." I said, trying to force a smile back at her in return.

"I can imagine. Come in." She said, opening the door wider.

"So I take it that you know, then, what's going on with Bella." I said as I walked into the apartment.

I'd had very high suspicions that she knew after she'd tried to help Bella make a swift escape from my house at Bella's party, but I wasn't positive until now.

"Yeah, I know. She told me at her party. She was just too scared to talk to you right away."

I couldn't help but feel a little hurt by that. Bella wasn't just my lover. She had become my best friend. I felt like I could tell her anything, but apparently she didn't feel the same.

"Is she here?" I asked.

"Yeah, she's here. But I think she might be sleeping. She's pretty much been sleeping all weekend."

"So I'm assuming she didn't go to class this morning then."

"Nope. Those are really pretty." She said, nodding towards the roses I was holding.

"Oh, yeah, do you think I can put these pink ones in some water? There for Chelsea. I didn't want to leave them in the car in case they wilt."

"Aw, you got your daughter roses for Valentine's day? That is so cute! Of course you can put them in water. Here, I'll find a vase for them." She said, reaching out to take them from me.

"Thanks." I said, handing her to them.

"No problem."

"So," I started, following her into the kitchen. "How is Bella handling all of this? I'd appreciate some insight as to what to expect when I go in there."

"Well," she started with a sigh. "To be blunt, expect a mess. She hasn't left her room since she got home Friday morning. She hasn't even showered and she's barely eaten anything. I fixed her some soup last night and tried to make her eat it but she only ate three bites before she kicked me out of her room."

"Wow. It's that bad?" I asked, overcome with sadness that Bella was seemingly so distraught that she couldn't even take care of herself.

"So it seems. She hasn't said much to me. The only time we've talked is when I've tried to convince her to eat or get out of bed."

As I imagined what Bella's weekend must have been like, not even getting out of bed to shower, that blindsiding emotion began to show itself again. Suddenly I was grateful for my busy work weekend, and for my daughter. At least work and Chelsea had given my something to focus on, something to get out of bed for. But Bella had simply turned her phone off and let herself lay there in bed wasting away.

"Oh, Edward…" Rosalie said, her voice full of sympathy, making me aware that my eyes were swimming in tears again.

"I'm sorry. I'm fine." I said, wiping at my eyes once again.

"Here, come here." She said, taking my hand and leading me towards the couch where we both sat down. "Do you want some water or something?"

"No, I'm okay. I'm working on fueling myself up with caffeine." I said, holding up my coffee in an attempt to make light of the situation. "God, I feel like such a pussy." I sighed, rubbing my face with my free hand. "This is the second time I've done this today. And I _never_ cry. I just…I just don't want this for her."

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"It's not like I haven't ever thought about having kids with her at some point. But she's so young. And she's just started school. She's just getting started in life. I don't want her to wake up one day and feel like she's stuck with a family that she wasn't ready to have. I don't ever want her to feel like she missed out on anything in life."

"Well, if it's any consolation, all she's ever wanted is to have a family and to have kids with a man like you."

"She's too young. She's not ready for that _right now_." I said, shaking my head.

"I understand what you're saying, I just…I mean, at least it's not like she's never wanted kids at all and now she's going to be stuck with one."

"I guess."

"And I don't know if this is any consolation either, but, if anyone's going to knock up my best friend, well, I'm glad that it's you."

I laughed and shook my head as I reached back to scratch the back of my neck, amused at how ridiculous her statement sounded.

"Thanks, Rosalie. I guess that is a little bit consoling."

"I know that sounds stupid, but I do have my reasons. I'm glad that it's you because I know that she can depend on you. I know that you're going to take care of her, no matter what happens. And I don't have to worry about you taking off on her and leaving her alone with a baby."

"I could never do that." I said, shaking my head at the thought.

"I know that. And that's why I'm so thankful that she has you. I know without a doubt that you'll step up to the plate where most guys wouldn't."

"Thank you. I appreciate your confidence in me."

"It's well deserved. I'm sure you don't hear it enough, but I think we all admire how well you've done with your daughter. I know Bella does."

I sighed and ran my hand through my hair. Rosalie actually was helping me calm down a little as far as anxiety goes. She reminded me of my confidence in myself and in my relationship with Bella. The circumstances we had stumbled into may not have been ideal, but I was confident in our ability to do this together. My love for Bella was strong, and so was my faith in her love for me. Rosalie was right. I would take care of her. I would get us through this. I would get our family through this.

_Family._

_We're really going to have a family._

But I was getting ahead of myself. My priority in that moment needed to be taking care of Bella. That was my job. And since she wasn't doing it herself, I needed to step in.

"Well, speaking of taking care of Bella, I need to go see her. I have to get her out of bed. That needs to happen before either of us can move forward with this."

She nodded and we both stood up.

"Well, good luck."

"Thanks, Rosalie."

She gave me one more smile and then disappeared into her room, closing the door behind her. Flowers and coffee in hand, I made my way over to Bella's door. I considered for a moment that maybe I should knock, but then decided against. Knocking was a way of asking permission to enter. I wasn't asking permission. I was coming in whether she liked it or not. Her behavior over the weekend was self destructive, and it was going to come to an end now.

I opened the door slowly, peeking through the crack to see what I was working with. It appeared that Rosalie was right. She was sleeping. At least, I was pretty sure. Her body was turned away from me so that she was facing the wall and she had the hood of her sweatshirt pulled up over her head. The blankets were kicked down around her feet to reveal that all she was wearing besides the sweatshirt was a pair of white cotton panties. Any other day I would have thought she looked adorable, but under the circumstances it was just sad.

I slipped into the room and then quietly shut the door behind me. As I approached Bella's bed I noticed two things. One, there was a half eaten box of chocolates lying on the bed next to Bella. Two, there was a _Teen Mom_ marathon playing on the TV. Why was she watching that shit? Did she think that she was going to end up like those girls? I sighed and went over to her desk, putting down my coffee and the flowers. Then I went to get the remote off of her bed and turned off the TV. I put the remote down on the desk next to my coffee and then went back over to the bed.

I wasn't really sure how to go about things. I guess I was nervous of what Bella's reaction would be. Would she be pissed at me for what I said that morning at my house? Or dare I be hopeful enough to think that she might be happy to see me?

I sat down on the edge of the bed and put my hand on her bare leg, thinking that might be enough to wake her. She made a quiet noise and shifted a little so that she was now on her back versus her side. She turned her head so that she was now facing me instead of the wall. Other than that, she appeared to still be sleeping.

I sighed when I saw her face. It was obvious that she had been crying. She even still had some smudged mascara around her eyes; probably still left over from her party if she hadn't showered at all. When she had rolled over her sweatshirt had ridden up a little, exposing her stomach, which caught my attention. I couldn't help myself. I slid my hand that was on her leg up her thigh and across her hip to rest it on her lower abdomen.

It was absolutely mesmerizing to think that right at that moment Bella was carrying our child. Of course, for the time being, her stomach was still flat and toned. There were no physical signs alluding to her pregnancy yet. But just the knowledge of knowing that we had created a life together and that it was in there was breathtaking.

"Edward?"

My eyes immediately jumped up from her stomach to her face. She was awake now, and looking confused.

"Hey" I said, moving my hand from her stomach to gently rub up and down her side as what I hoped was a soothing gesture.

"What are you doing here?"

"What do you mean? I should have come sooner. But I was at the hospital all weekend. I kept trying to call you but your phone was off."

She stared at me for a minute and then looked down at my hand, making me wonder if I should move it.

"I didn't want to talk to anybody." She whispered.

"Not even me?"

"No." She answered sadly, breaking my heart.

"Why not?" I asked after a long moment of silence.

"Because I'm not going to do to you what Tanya did. I don't want to be a burden on you."

I sighed, irritated with myself for making her think that that's how I thought of her.

"That's what you thought I meant?"

"Isn't it? You said that you can't believe that this is happening to you again. I'm just another girl that you knocked up and you think that I'm going to leave you with my baby just like Tanya did. But I could n-never do that t-to you. And I c-could n-never do that-to my b-baby. I c-can do t-this on my ow – "

At that point Bella was starting to cry, which was making me tear up…_again._ I had to cut her off. I couldn't bear listening to her twisted interpretation of what she thought that I was thinking. What she had been in bed thinking all weekend. That must have been killing her.

"Baby, no…" I said, shaking my head and reaching up to wipe away the tears that were now slowly streaming down her cheeks. "Don't ever think that, Bella. That's not at all what I meant. How can you possibly think that I think of you as just another girl that I knocked up? You are so much more than that, Bella. You're everything."

"What do you mean, how can I say that?" She asked, sniffling but not as much crying anymore. "You directly compared me to Tanya when you said that."

"I know, but, not like that. Bella, what you and I have…" I paused, trying to come up with the right way to express what I wanted to say. "What I had with Tanya doesn't even compare to what I have with you. I'm so in love with you it hurts just to be away from you. For the first time in my life I'm in a relationship that's actually built on something solid. My feelings for you go so much deeper than what I ever thought a relationship was. You've shown me what it's like to love someone completely. I don't just look at you as some girl I'm dating. I have so much respect for you as a person. And I have so much confidence in the woman that I know you're going to be. I love you because you're a beautiful person. You have such a big heart, and you open it selflessly to everyone around you. So did it ever cross my mind that your actions in our circumstances would in any way mirror Tanya's actions? No, absolutely not, because you're nothing like Tanya. I'm lucky to have you. And don't ever think that I feel otherwise."

By this time both of our eyes were filled with fresh tears and my masculinity was long gone.

"If that's true," She started, pausing to swallow. "Then why did you say that? Why did you compare me to her?"

I wiped some more tears off of her cheeks and then ran my hand through her hair, pushing it away from her face.

"After Chelsea was born, my whole world changed. She became my world. Everything I did was for her. But Tanya never felt that way. She told me more than once that having a baby with me ruined her life. And I never did understand how someone could feel that way about their child, but she did. She resented me like hell for getting her pregnant. And I felt guilty. Even though the prospect of raising my daughter alone scared the shit out of me, I was still relieved when Tanya left. Because I didn't have to bear the weight of her resentment anymore. And I don't ever want you to feel the same way about me that she did."

"That's ridiculous, Edward. If you think as highly of me as you just said you did a minute ago, then you would know that I could _never_ feel that way about my own child."

"I know that. I know you couldn't, Bella. That's not what I'm afraid of. I have no doubt that you will be an amazing mother to any of your children, regardless of the circumstances that bring them to be. What I'm afraid of is that one day you might look back and resent the fact that all of this is happening so fast. I've fantasized more than once about what it would be like to marry you and watch you have my children, but not like this. I want you to be able to have everything you've ever wanted and to do everything that you've ever wanted to do. I want to share my life with you, but I wanted to do it on your terms. I wanted to do it on your schedule. But now I feel like you're being forced into it. And I never want you to be in the position to look back and regret losing time to do things or accomplish things that you want. You're so young. You're supposed to be just starting your life, not settling down. You're not supposed to be tied down at nineteen."

"That's stupid."

"Why is that stupid?"

"Because you're already tied down to a child, and I'm tied to you, so I guess that means I was already tied down."

"You're not tied to me, Bella. At least you weren't."

"Yes I was. And yes I am. I've _been _tied to you, Edward. I don't want to do or accomplish anything or go somewhere or see anything without you. You're my path."

I smiled down at her, using my thumb to wipe a tear from the corner of her eye. This is exactly why I loved her.

"I guess now it's _our_ path."

"It's always been _our_ path. As long as you're on it, it's my path too."

"I'm sorry about saying that I couldn't believe this was happening again. I didn't mean to give you the wrong impression of what I was feeling."

"Thanks."

"I brought you something." I said, gesturing to the flowers that I had just remembered were sitting on her desk.

She turned her head to look at them.

"What are those for?" she asked. "Are they supposed to be apology flowers?"

"No, they're for Valentine's Day."

"Oh, wow…I totally didn't even realize that that's today. Thank you. They're really pretty."

"Then where did those come from?" I asked, gesturing to the half eaten box of chocolates still sitting on her bed.

"They were on my desk when I woke up this morning. I just assumed Rosalie put them there because she felt sorry for me. That and because she keeps trying to get me to eat. I figured that she decided chocolate was better than nothing."

I frowned, remembering everything that Rosalie had told me.

"Speaking of which, why haven't you been eating?"

She shrugged and pulled the covers up over herself.

"I haven't had an appetite."

"Well you have to eat, Bella. Especially in…your condition."

"I know. I'm sorry. I've just been such a mess." She said, starting to tear up once again. "It's amazing how much better just you being here is making me feel though. I'm still scared out of my mind, but I'm glad to know that you're not afraid of what I thought you were."

I was relieved to hear that Bella was glad to have me there. But I was still saddened to know that she was scared, however understandable that may be.

"So, I shared my concerns with you. How about you tell me what _you're_ afraid of?"

I was expecting Bella to share her fears with me and that we would then maturely and collectedly discuss them.

I was _not _expecting Bella to break down in tears and begin sobbing so hard she couldn't breathe.

…but that's what Bella did.

"Babe…" I said hesitantly, unsure of how to even react.

She didn't say anything, although I doubt she would have been able to form words even if she tried. She simply covered her face with both hands and bawled into them, breaking my heart.

"Bella, calm down. Don't cry." I pleaded softly. "We can talk about this calmly."

She only began to cry harder, and that made me feel like an ass. Who was I to tell her to calm down and stop crying? She was nineteen years old and knocked up. She had every right to cry and be upset if she wanted to. But I still wanted to comfort her. And if she at the moment wasn't capable of having a conversation with me and letting me comfort her with words, then I would just have to find another way.

As I looked down at Bella's tiny body, quivering with the outpouring of her tears, I considered that maybe comfort through words wasn't what she needed. She was manifesting her fear and sadness physically, through her crying, so maybe she needed physical comfort. Maybe she just needed me to hold her while she let it out. Granted she had seemingly been letting it out all weekend, but maybe she wasn't done.

So, I kicked off my shoes and gently moved over her to settle in on her other side, between her body and the wall. I pushed one of my arms down into the small space between us and then with my other arm I tenderly pulled her over to me so that she was wrapped in my arms, one underneath her and one over her. Thankfully, she didn't resist. She willingly moved into my embrace and clung to me tightly. Her arms wrapped securely around me and her face buried itself into my neck as if they were magnets. My skin was quickly saturated with her tears, but I didn't care. Her closeness was more soothing than I would have guessed.

As her tears continued to flow freely, I simply lay there hoping that she could feel the love and comfort in my embrace. I rubbed her back lightly and closed my eyes, trying to wait patiently for her to let it all out.

.

.

.

.

I wasn't aware that I was falling or had fallen asleep until I was opening my eyes. Bella was on her side, facing me and staring at me with a peculiar expression. Her face was still red and puffy from her tears, which I could feel the lingering moisture of as they dried on my neck.

"You're beautiful when you sleep. Your face looks like an angel's." She said with a hoarse voice, reaching out to trace my bottom lip.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep on you. I had a long weekend at the hospital and I guess exhaustion got the best of me." I told her, reaching up to scratch the back of my neck.

"It's okay. You looked like you needed it. You have bags under your eyes. And I liked watching you, anyway. Thanks for letting me cry on you."

"You're welcome. Do you feel any better?" I asked.

"Not really."

"Do you want to talk about your sudden outburst? What provoked it?"

"Not really." She answered again.

I sighed, relenting in not talking about it at the moment but knowing that I would bring it up again later.

"How long was I asleep? What time is it?"

"It's six thirty."

"Shit…" I mumbled, moving to dig around in my pocket in search of my phone.

"What's wrong?" Bella asked.

"I told Jasper on my way over here that I'd only be a little while longer. He has Chelsea."

"Oh."

I had three missed calls from him and a text message asking if I was okay. Shit.

I quickly scrolled to his name in my contact list and pressed the green send button. He answered after the first ring.

"Hello?"

"Hey, man, I'm so sorry. I fell asleep at Bella's. I'll come get Chelsea right now. I can be there in –"

"Dude, it's fine." He said, cutting me off. "I just want to make sure you're okay. Why didn't you tell me about Bella?"

"What?"

"Why didn't you tell me about Bella being pregnant? You have to be freaking the fuck out."

"You know?"

"Yeah, Alice heard from Evan and she told me. Why didn't you say something?"

"I don't know. I just…" I paused, looking over at Bella. "Hold on a second."

"Okay." He answered.

I moved the phone away from my mouth and turned to Bella.

"I'll be right back, okay?" I asked her.

"Are you leaving?"

"No, I'm just going into the other room. I'll be right back."

She looked curious as to why I was leaving the room, but not interested enough to ask.

"Okay." She answered.

I moved off of the bed and went into the living room, reclosing Bella's bedroom door behind me.

"Hey, you there?" I asked, speaking into the phone again.

"Yeah, I'm here."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. But my only focus at the time was talking about things with Bella. She left my house all upset on Friday morning and I didn't get to talk to her at all over the weekend."

"Well are you guys okay now?"

"Yes. I mean, I don't know. We're working on it. We were talking but then she started crying and then I fell asleep and I don't know…this is all just a big mess."

"Well hey, don't worry about coming to get Chelsea. Alice and I can keep her here for the night."

Although I did like the thought of having the night to be alone with Bella, I knew I couldn't take him up on the offer.

"I can't ask you to do that, Jazz. It's Valentine's day."

"You're not asking. I'm offering."

"You're a good friend, man. And I appreciate the offer, but no."

"Are you sure? Alice and I really wouldn't mind. If you and Bella need the time to talk or be alone or whatever, then take it."

"No, it's okay. Besides, I told Chelsea I'd be her Valentine. I want to have her tonight. Plus she's been gone all weekend. She needs to be home."

"Alright, well take your time. Just come get her whenever you can. No rush."

"Alright, thanks."

"So you're doing okay then? With the situation?"

"I'm not sure about okay, but I'm coping. Bella's scared shitless, of course. Which is exactly what I didn't want to happen. But I understand why."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Thank you, but no. We just need time."

"Okay, well, I'll let you get back to her. I'll see you later."

"Yeah, okay. I'll be there soon."

When I went back into Bella's room, I wasn't surprised to find that she hadn't moved at all. She was just lying there, staring at the wall, but her eyes shifted to me as I walked in. I smiled at her lovingly, but her expression was unchanging. She just stared at me.

I sighed and reached behind me to rub the back of my neck. It was clear to me that as Bella's boyfriend, I needed to step up and take care of her. I mentally scoffed at the word boyfriend. That sounded so juvenile considering the circumstances that we were in. but still, as her man, more importantly _the man _that got her pregnant, I needed to take care of her. And that needed to start with getting her out of bed.

"Get up, baby. Put some clothes on."

"Why?" She asked, furrowing her eyebrows at me.

"We're going to go pick up Chelsea from Jasper's."

She looked at me blankly for a moment, as if she was floored by the thought of what I was telling her to do.

"Edward, I can't go with you to get her. I'm a mess. She's going to wonder what's wrong with me."

"Well, I'm certainly not going to let you stay here and become even more of a mess. You've been here in bed all weekend and it clearly hasn't done you any good, Bella."

"Well what do you expect, Edward? I can't just go hang out with you and your daughter and pretend that nothing is wrong. That my life isn't being completely…completely…"

She trailed off as if she didn't know what word to use and I felt my chest tighten a little. What was she trying to say? Were my fears true?"

"Completely what, Bella? Ruined?"

"No. No, that's not what I was going to say. I mean changed. Its being completely changed…totally turned upside down. And I'm just…overwhelmed. I-I don't know how to react to all of this, Edward…"

"I understand that, babe. I really do. But the sooner that we can pick ourselves up from this, the better. And that's not going to happen if you shut yourself off in your room and feel sorry for yourself."

"I'm not –"

"Just get up and put some clothes on." I said, cutting her off. "And pack a bag. I want you to stay with me, at least for a few days."

"Why? You don't think I'm capable of taking care of myself here?"

"No, I don't." I said bluntly. "If you were, you'd have been doing it this weekend."

The look on her face made me worry that I'd been _too_ blunt with her, so I went over to kiss her forehead and tried to make my voice sound softer when I spoke next.

"Look, it's not just about taking care of you, okay? This is an overwhelming time for me as well, and I'd like to have you with me. I love you. You're my best friend. I want you by my side."

She gave me a weak smile through watery eyes.

"I'm your best friend?" She asked softly.

"Yes, you are…and so much more than that."

She looked at me thoughtfully for a moment.

"You're my best friend too."

"Then please just come stay with me…be with me."

She sighed and started to push the covers back.

"Okay." She said, sitting up.

"Thank you."

Bella made fairly quick work of getting herself dressed and packing a bag to bring with her. She asked me if she should shower first but I told her just to wait and take one at my house. It was already late enough and I felt bad for Chelsea being at Jasper's all day so I wanted to get her as soon as we could. Before leaving, I made sure to grab the roses that I'd bought for Chelsea.

Our car ride was silent. Bella sat in the passenger seat of my car, gazing out the window. But despite our silence, I didn't turn the radio on. There was too much on my mind, and I was still trying to absorb it all.

Once we got to Jasper's, I didn't even ask Bella if she wanted to go to the door with me. I just wanted to get in and out of there as soon as possible and get home. So, I left Bella in the car and quickly made my way up to the front door, bringing Chelsea's roses with me. Surprisingly, it was Chelsea who opened the door after I knocked. Jasper quickly appeared behind her, though.

"It's Daddy!" Chelsea squealed, smiling up at me.

"Well hello there, my dear." I said, getting down on one knee in front of her. "For you, my lady."  
I said, dramatically presenting her with the pink roses.

"Flowers!" She said, giggling. "And they're pink!"

"Of course they are. I couldn't buy flowers for my valentine and not get her favorite color! What kind of valentine do you think I am!" I said, making her laugh some more.

"Thank you, Daddy." She said, tilting her head slightly to the side and flashing me that perfect and precious smile that I knew would only give me problems as she got older.

"You are very welcome. But I think I deserve a hug and a kiss now, don't you?"

She giggled again and then made her way into my open and awaiting arms. She kissed my cheek softly and then I kissed hers in return. My kiss, however, was big and noisy and dramatic.

"Daddy!" She squealed, wiping at her cheek as if I'd just licked it or something.

"Did you have fun? Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, I had lots of fun."

"Hold on a second, I'll go get her stuff." Jasper said before disappearing back into the house.

"Were you good for uncle Jasper?"

"I'm _always_ good." She said, rolling her eyes like a teenager or something.

"Good to know." I said, laughing.

Thankfully it only took a minute or so for Jasper to return with Chelsea's things. We said very brief goodbyes to him and then I escorted my little valentine to the car. I opened the back passenger side door for her but, true to form, she insisted on getting into the booster seat all by herself. I double checked to make sure she buckled everything right and then closed the door and went to walk around to my own side of the car. As I did, I threw a quick glance at Bella through her window. And then I did a double take.

She was sitting there silently, but had big fat tears rolling down her cheeks. We made eye contact, and I couldn't just look at her like that and then walk away. So I slowly opened her door and stepped towards her.

"Hey…" I said, reaching up to wipe at her tears with my thumbs. "No crying. Please." I added, leaning into her and dropping my voice to a low enough whisper that hopefully Chelsea wouldn't hear.

"I'm sorry." She whispered back in an equally hushed voice. "It's just, you…you're such a good father, Edward. You're so good with her. I could never be as good of a parent as you."

I frowned as I wiped at some more of her tears. Where was _this_ coming from? I guess maybe she had watched my playful encounter with Chelsea from the car?

"We can talk about this when we get to the house, okay?" I said, very aware of little ears in the backseat that could be listening.

"Okay." She said, nodding.

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Once we got to the house, the first thing that Bella wanted to do was shower. While she disappeared into my bathroom I started searching the kitchen for something I could make Chelsea for dinner. I was surprised, but pleased, when she informed me that she'd already eaten with Jasper. Thankful that I had one less thing to deal with, I then skipped right ahead to taking her upstairs for a bath. After wrestling her into some pajamas, I decided that it was still a little early to put her to bed. So, being totally selfish, I told her to go watch Dora. I was too exhausted, both mentally and physically, to play with her or anything.

When we got downstairs, Chelsea scurried off into the living room to watch television like I told her to. I, meanwhile, started to look around for Bella. Surprisingly, it seemed like she still wasn't out of the shower yet. I thought about going to check on her, but decided against it. Maybe she was just taking a long shower to relax herself. Or maybe she didn't want to be around anyone. Maybe she still felt the need for some alone time.

A growl from my stomach made me venture into the kitchen where I decided to try to make something for myself and Bella to eat. I was pretty hungry and I'd already been planning on making her eat anyway. But since my culinary skills were more than limited, I decided just to make us some turkey sandwiches. Surely I couldn't mess that up.

Just as I started getting all of the necessary sandwich ingredients out, Bella quietly entered the room. She was wearing a pair of pink plaid cotton pajama shorts and a plain grey T shirt. Her hair was damp and hung down around her face. She was so simple, yet she looked so beautiful to me.

"There's my girl." I said, smiling at her.

She smiled back at me, but it didn't reach her eyes.

"Hi." She mumbled.

I abandoned my task and went over to go wrap my arms around her. I couldn't help it. It was as if my arms were aching to hold her. As I pulled her into my embrace, she wrapped her arms around my midsection. I hugged her tightly and went to kiss her head.

"Mm, you smell good." I said, smelling her clean hair and lingering scent of body wash.

"Thanks. Taking a shower and shaving my legs actually made me feel unbelievably better…" She answered, resting her forehead against my chest.

"Good. Are you hungry?"

"I guess so."

"Well, you have to eat something. I was about to make us some sandwiches."

"You don't have to. I can do it." She answered.

"I don't mind." I assured her.

She pulled back a little to look up at me, biting her lip as if she was contemplating something.

"What?" I asked, knowing that look.

"I kind of _want _to do it." She replied. "You're not very good with food…" She added quietly, making me laugh.

I was glad that she was acting like her normal self enough to insult my cooking skills. That was a very Bella-ish thing to do.

"Bella, they're just sandwiches." I answered. "I think I can handle that."

"Well, you can make your own then." She said, moving out of my arms and towards the refrigerator. "I want to toast mine on the stove. I want it warm…warm food is soothing…"

So that's what we settled on. We each began making our own sandwiches, Bella warming hers up on the stove. As I tediously prepared my food, I went over our previous conversation at her apartment in my head. There were a lot of things that I still wanted to talk to her about, and things that I wanted to bring up again.

"Can I ask you something?" I asked her as I cut up a tomato.

"Yeah." She answered from where she stood, back towards me, at the stove.

"When I asked you earlier what your fears are about all of this, you got really emotional. Do you not feel comfortable sharing them with me? Because you and I are the biggest support that we can give one another. I'd really like to know what you're thinking."

She stayed quiet for a while, to the point where I was wondering if she was going to ignore me all together.

"It's the same reason that I got emotional when I watched you and Chelsea from the car at Jasper's house."

"And why is that?"

"Because I'm not ready to be a parent."

That made my heart sink. Of course she didn't want to be a parent right now. And yet I had gotten her into a situation where she had no other choice.

"Bella, I –"

"No, wait. Just listen. I don't mean that in a selfish way at all. I'm not saying that because I don't want a baby or because I'm worried about how it will affect _me_. I'm worried about how _I_ will affect a baby. I'm not ready to be parent because I don't know how to be." She sighed and turned around to face me. "You're so amazing with Chelsea and you handle everything so well with her. You know how to be a parent, but I don't. I don't know what to do with a baby. I mean, you know that I've always wanted to have a family and kids. But I always thought that I would be prepared for it. That it would be planned and I would be ready. But I'm not ready. And I'm worried that I'm going to mess up. I can't be responsible for someone's _life_, Edward. I…I don't know if I can do it. I don't want to mess up."

Now _that_ was something that I could totally relate to.

I put my knife down and walked over to her, leaning against the counter next to where she stood. I reached out to touch her cheek and turn her face so that she was looking at me.

"I know exactly what you're feeling, Bella. Because that's exactly what I was feeling five years ago, when I found out that I was going to be a father. It's terrifying. But the thing is, no one is ever ready to be a parent. Sure there are people out there who read every blog, book, and magazine about parenting and who meticulously plan conceiving children, but no one actually knows how to be a parent until they _are_ one. It's not something that you're taught, it's something that you grow into. And of course everyone has their struggles with it, as have I, but that's exactly what parenting is about. You learn just as much as your child does. And I wish that you weren't so young and that we'd had the chance to plan a pregnancy a little further down the road, but that's just not the way that it worked out."

She sighed and looked into my eyes with her own eyes full of anxiety.

"I'm so scared, Edward."

"I know you are. And I'd be lying if I said that I'm not as well. But I can promise you one thing. You're not going to mess up your child's life. I've known from the first time we spoke about you wanting children one day that you'd be an amazing mother. You're nurturing and understanding and patient. And if I'm going to be a father again, well, then I'm honored to have you by my side."

She dropped the spatula she was holding and turned all the way towards me, throwing her arms around me.

"I don't know what I would do if I was in this situation with anyone other than you. I couldn't do this without you."

"Well let's just be thankful that at least we have each other. We'll get through this, and whatever else comes our way, together." I said before kissing the top of her head. "I'm going to take care of you." I added in a whisper.

"I know you will." She whispered back.

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**A/N:**

**Whew! That one took forever to write simply because each time I sat down to write it, I cried! It was really sad to write :(**

**I hope I still have readers. I know it's been taking a long time for updates, but obviously writing time is limited with two little ones. I try to console myself by reminding myself that most of my favorite fanfics don't get updated frequently either, but I still read them. So maybe there are other people like me out there? Idk…**

**Anyway, I hope this gave you all some insight as to what Edward was thinking when he put his foot in his mouth…**

**Trophy Wife update coming soon, so look for it! **

**To those who are still reading, THANK YOU for sticking with me. I'd appreciate any reviews I can come by. I think a lot of people are disappointed in my lack of updating schedule and therefore have stopped reviewing, but come on, I know I still have SOME supporters out there, right? *crossing fingers***

**Til next time,**

**Jenn**

**P.S. – Pregnant sex is the best, fyi. So look forward to some hot hormonal lemons that might just make you need to go pet the kitty…just sayin…**


	32. Facing The Music Part 2

**A/N: **

**I don't own any recognizable characters. **

**Surprise! I bet you weren't expecting me to update again this soon considering my recent track record, huh? I know that I promised an update to Trophy Wife first, but with the last chapter of this story I hit 3000 reviews so I HAD to get a chapter out as a big thank you. So, THANK YOU!**

**More at the bottom. Enjoy :) **

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_**(Previously…)**_

_She dropped the spatula she was holding and turned all the way towards me, throwing her arms around me._

_"I don't know what I would do if I was in this situation with anyone other than you. I couldn't do this without you."_

_"Well let's just be thankful that at least we have each other. We'll get through this, and whatever else comes our way, together." I said before kissing the top of her head. "I'm going to take care of you." I added in a whisper._

_"I know you will." She whispered back._

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**(Just to clear up any confusion, this chapter picks up on the same night that the last chapter left off)**

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**EPOV**

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As I left Chelsea's room, having just put her to bed, I quietly clicked the door closed behind me. I made my way down the stairs and then headed down the hall to my bedroom, where I could see the light on. I found Bella there, sitting on her usual side of my bed, looking at something on my laptop. She glanced up at me as I walked in and gave me a weak smile.

"Hey," She said quietly. "I hope you don't mind that I kind of helped myself to your computer."

"No, of course not." I answered, walking around to my side of the bed so I could sit next to her. "What are you looking at?" I asked as I scooted over to her.

"Umm…I'm looking at information about pregnancy. I mean, obviously I know how pregnancy generally works. But I don't know anything about actually _being_ pregnant. I don't know what I'm supposed to be eating or doing or…anything."

I nodded and smiled at her, glad that she was taking some kind of interest in her pregnancy instead of moping about it.

"I see. So have you read anything interesting?"

She scrunched up her nose at the computer and shrugged.

"It sounds kind of horrible, actually."

"What do you mean? What sounds horrible?" I asked.

"Being pregnant sounds horrible. I mean, you should see all of the things this website talks about. There's back pain, constipation, sore breasts, random bleeding, heart burn, leg cramps, moodiness, morning sickness, stretch marks, swelling, tiredness, peeing all the time, vaginal discharge, uri –"

At the mention of vaginal discharged I grimaced and took the computer from her, closing it and reaching over to put it on my nightstand. Maybe researching pregnancy _wasn't_ such a good idea for her at the moment.

"Don't psych yourself out with all of that, Bella. Thinking about the negative things is only going to make this harder. Focus on the positive things."

"What positive things? Did you not hear the list I just gave you?"

"There are plenty of positive things. You won't have to deal with periods. Your whole body is going to be more hydrated so your hair while be thick and glossy and your skin will be clear and soft which is what makes you look like your glowing. You get to eat whatever you want because you're _supposed_ to gain weight. Your senses are more attuned so everything will taste and smell better. Oh, and your nails will be stronger and grow faster. That's not a bad thing, right?"

She stared at me blankly for a moment.

"How do you know all of that about hydrated skin and stronger nails and attuned senses?"

"Well, I've been to medical school for one. And I, uh…I _have_ had a pregnant girlfriend before…"

"Oh, right."

"And you know what else?" I asked, smirking at her and raising my eyebrows suggestively. "Your boobs are going to get huge and your sex drive is going to skyrocket."

"That sounds like more of a good thing for _you_." She said, giggling.

I smiled back at her, glad that she was up to joking around with me.

"It's still a good thing." I answered.

She smiled at me and reached over to grab my forearms, pushing my arms open, making me smile. She always did that when she wanted me to hold her. She scooted over closer to me and snuggled up against me. As she settled in I wrapped my arms around her tightly.

"I love you." She whispered, burrowing against my neck. "You're the only thing keeping me sane right now."

"I love you too." I answered, grabbing a blanket that was sitting next to me on the bed and pulling it over us.

"I told Rosalie that she could tell whoever she wanted." She said after a moment of silence. "I really don't want to deal with having to tell all of my friends."

"Well, I can tell you for sure that Evan, Alice, and Jasper already know."

"How do you know?"

"Jasper told me when I spoke to him on the phone at your apartment earlier. He said that Evan told Alice and Alice told him. I don't know who told Evan, maybe Rosalie."

"Well, that's good I guess…less people I have to face."

Speaking of people that she didn't want to have to tell about her pregnancy got me thinking about her father. I thought back to the day that I had met him and the promise that I had made him; that I would take care of his daughter and look out for her.

I seriously doubted that this was what he had in mind.

"You're father is going to kill me." I said quietly.

"I was just thinking the same thing about your mother." She answered. "She already hates me. I can't even imagine how she is going to react to this. She's going to be so pissed."

I shrugged and started playing with a lock of her hair.

"Maybe not. It's another grandchild; exactly what she wants."

"Yeah but I'm pretty sure that she doesn't want a grandchild by _me_."

I sighed and pulled back so that I could look at Bella's face, turning her head slightly so that she was looking at me as well.

"I don't care. There's no one in this world that I would rather be having a baby with then you. If it's fate that I have another child right now, I absolutely want it to be with you."

"It's not fate…" She mumbled, breaking our eye contact and looking down.

"What do you mean?" I asked, wanting to know why she looked so sad while she said that.

She sighed, bit her lip, and looked back up at me.

"It's not fate that I got pregnant. It's my fault."

I sighed and shook my head.

"Bella, it's not your fault. It takes two people to make a baby. And still, it's not anyone's fault. It's just…something that happened."

"No. It _is _my fault. I was stupid."

"Why do you think that?"

"Because I switched birth controls and I was too stupid to know that I had to wait for the new one to take effect before we had sex. If I'd known, I would have told you to use a condom or something. We were pretty much having unprotected sex because of me."

Her 'confession' didn't really have much of an effect on me. It didn't matter how she had gotten pregnant. All that mattered now was that she was pregnant, and dwelling on whose fault it was didn't serve any purpose.

"First of all, that's something that your doctor should have told you. Second of all, dwelling on that isn't going to help anything. That's only going to make you feel worse. What's done is done, babe."

She sighed deeply and lifted one hand to rub her face.

"God, my mind is such a mess right now. I never imagined that getting pregnant would bring up _so many _things that we have to think about."

"Yeah, well, I don't want to think about any of that right now. I've been stressing about all of this all weekend long and I know that you have too. All I care about right now is that you and I are okay and that we're committed to getting through this together. Everything else can wait."

"Okay." She said, nodding and cuddling up closer to me.

So we simply lay there, for the time being, just content to be with one another. I tried not to let myself think about the drastic way that our lives were about to change or the challenges we were about to face. I tried to forget about how Bella's father would react or how this would impact her relationship with him. I decided to ignore all of my fears and insecurities.

Instead, I chose to just hold my love in my arms and let her be my only focus until her even breathing lulled me into a peaceful sleep.

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**BPOV**

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I woke up to Edward's hands stroking my hair and his voice whispering my name. Normally, it was my absolute favorite way to wake up. But on that particular morning, I didn't want to be woken at all.

"Wake up, baby." Edward said sweetly.

I groaned and reached up to push his hand away.

"Go away. I'm still tired."

I heard him chuckle softly and that kind of got on my nerves. Why couldn't he just let me sleep?

"You've been asleep for almost thirteen hours, Bella. It's almost eleven. Now open your eyes, beautiful. I brought you orange juice."

Because I knew Edward well enough to know that he wasn't going to leave me to sleep some more, I surrendered and opened my eyes. He smiled at me and then reached to the bedside table to pick up the glass of orange juice he'd brought in, offering it to me.

"I want coffee." I protested.

"Well you should really cut out the coffee for now. Orange juice is better for you, at least while you're pregnant."

"I can't have coffee anymore?" I asked with a frown.

"It's debatable. Some doctors will tell you that caffeine is okay in moderation, but studies show that it poses more of a risk for the baby. I'd really prefer if you held off on it."

I sighed and sat up, taking the orange juice from him.

"Thanks." I mumbled before taking a small sip of it.

"You're welcome. I was going to wake you up a lot earlier so you could make your class, but you just looked so peaceful sleeping. But I _do_ think that you should go tomorrow."

"Yeah, maybe." I answered dismissively.

"I just don't want you to miss too many days."

"Yeah, well, I think under these circumstances it's understandable for me to miss some school."

"I know that. And that's why I didn't wake you up early this morning. I just want you to miss as little as possible. The more you miss the harder it will be to get back on track."

"Okay, seriously Edward? You're acting like my father…"

He laughed and reached up to scratch the back of his neck.

"I'm sorry. I'm not trying to be overbearing. I just really meant what I said when I told you that I was going to take care of you."

"I know you did. You just need to…chill out a little. I've only missed two days of class. It will be fine."

"Okay, you're right. I'm sorry."

"It's okay." 

I took another sip of my orange juice and then put it back down on the nightstand.

"So, we have a doctor's appointment on Monday."

"We?"

"Yes, we. I don't plan on missing one moment of this pregnancy, especially doctor appointments."

"I could have done that myself." I mumbled.

"I know, but I wanted to be able to get in as soon as possible. And this gynecologist is a friend of mine, so I figured I'd just go ahead and call myself…save you the trouble."

"I have my own gynecologist." I answered.

"I know, but come on…your doctor didn't even tell you the side effects of switching birth controls. It was unprofessional of them not to warn you of the period of time it would take for your new pill to be effective. So I'd really prefer if we went elsewhere. And like I said, I know this guy. I trust him."

All of the sudden, my emotions were ricocheting all over the place. I _never_ got annoyed with Edward, but at the moment, he was really irritating me. I'd literally just woken up and he was all up in my business…not in a good way.

I understood that this baby was his as well, but it was _my_ body. I didn't give a flying fuck who he trusted with it. Wasn't that up to _me_? The way he was acting made me feel like a clueless child who couldn't take care of myself.

"Okay, first of all…I don't like the idea of going to a male gynecologist. Two, I don't need you to remind me to go to school and make doctor's appointments for me. I can do that myself. Three, I don't need you to wake me up when you've decided that I've slept long enough. I'm an adult. I can make those decisions for myself."

His eyed widened and he leaned back a little, clearly surprised with my little outburst. His surprise was understandable, considering we _never_ snapped at each other like that, but I just really wanted him to back off.

"Yeah, okay, I'm sorry." He said quietly, clearly hurt. "I'll leave you alone."

As he stood up from wear he'd been sitting on the side of the bed and turned to leave the room, I couldn't bring myself to stop him. I wanted the space.

As he left and softly closed the door behind him, I sighed and threw the blankets off of me. I got up and went to go shower, and hopefully clear my head.

The hot water and steam from the shower felt good, but the anxiety caused by my outburst at Edward felt horrible. We never even got moderately upset at each other, and in the back of my mind I knew that I was being overly dramatic. I knew how much Edward loved me. He was only trying to take care of me. I shouldn't have gotten upset with him. I was _lucky_ to have him, and I wanted him to know that I knew that.

After my lengthy shower, I wanted to try to relax as much as possible. My anxiety level had been through the roof all weekend, and it was exhausting.

So, I focused on taking deep and steady breaths and thinking relaxing thoughts as I dried my body and stepped out of the shower. I brushed my teeth thoroughly and then attempted to brush through my wet and tangled hair. After taming that mess, I brought out the lotion that I kept at Edward's house and squirted some into my hand before starting to massage it into the skin of my arms.

As I stood in front of Edward's full length mirror and moisturized, I looked over my naked body. I turned to the side and tilted my head, trying to envision what I would look like with a big pregnant belly. I laughed a little to myself because it was just so _weird_ to imagine. I'd always wanted kids one day, but it was an intense and intimidating thing to actually _be_ pregnant. I couldn't imagine myself with a little baby bump. The thought made me giggle again.

I ran my hand over my still flat abdomen and tried to take in the thought that there was actually a baby starting to grow in there. I smiled when my mind conjured up a vision of a tiny baby boy that looked exactly like Edward. I wondered if our baby really would look that much like him. I hoped so.

I let out a little gasp at the realization of the emotion that I was feeling at that moment. For the first time since I'd found out about my pregnancy, I felt a hint of excitement about it. Edward was an incredible father, and I was excited that my child was going to have him.

My little moment in the bathroom made me feel even worse about snapping at Edward earlier. He was amazing to me, and he didn't deserve that. So, wanting to apologize to him, I threw on some sweatpants and a T shirt and left his bedroom to go find him.

Instead, I found a note in the kitchen.

_Bella – _

_I'm sorry I upset you. I left to go get my dry cleaning and then pick up Chelsea from preschool. I'm going to take her for ice cream or to the park or something afterwards so that you can have the house to yourself for a little while. I'm sorry that I've been coming off as so overbearing, but please eat something? Call me if you need anything. _

_I love you._

_Edward._

Great. So now I felt even worse. Even when I'd been a total bitch to him, Edward was still sweet to me. I mean, shit. He was willing to vacate _his_ house just so I could have time alone?

_I'm a total asshole._

I sighed and headed back to Edward's bedroom so I could get my cell phone and dialed Edward's number as quickly as I could.

"Hello?" He answered.

"Can you please come home? I mean, obviously go get Chelsea first, but can you please just come home after?"

"Why? What's wrong? Are you okay?" He asked, worry evident in his voice.

"No. Yes. I don't know. I'm fine, but I don't want you to leave me here for time alone or whatever. I don't want to be away from you."

"Of course I'll come home if you want me to." He answered sweetly. "I just thought that you wanted to be alone."

"No. I want to be with you."

"Okay, well, I'm almost to the preschool. I'll be home soon, okay?"

"Okay. Just don't stop anywhere."

He laughed softly, making me smile.

"Okay, I won't. I promise."

"Okay."

"Love you."

"Love you too." I answered before hanging up.

As I waited for Edward to get home, I didn't really know what to do with myself. I paced across his room a couple times before I finally decided to go make myself a bowl of cereal. I normally didn't eat breakfast if I wasn't with Edward and Chelsea, but I knew that I needed to eat more now. So I poured myself a bowl of cheerios and then sat down at the table.

About half way through my cereal, I heard the garage door open and smiled. Chelsea came bouncing into the house minutes later, followed by Edward soon after.

"Bella!" Chelsea squealed happily, running over to me.

"Hey, gorgeous." I answered, leaning over to kiss her head.

"I missed you. You were still sleeping when I went to school."

"I know. I was extra sleepy this morning. But I'm awake now." I said to her with a smile.

"Can we play?" She asked, giving me her signature look, up through her thick eyelashes.

"You can play with Bella in a little while, Chels." Edward cut in before I could answer. "I need to talk to her first. How about you go in the living room and finish that picture that you started at school?"

"Can we play after?" She asked.

"We'll see." Edward answered. "Here, take your backpack." He said, handing her Dora bag to her. "Your picture and your crayons are in there."

"Okay." She answered, taking the bag from Edward and skipping off towards the living room.

"But stay on the coffee table!" he called after her. "Don't get those crayons on anything other than your paper!"

"I _know_, Daddy!" She called back. I could practically hear her eye roll.

"She's going to be a horrific teenager." Edward said, shaking his head.

"No, she's not." I said, smiling down at my cheerios. "She's got an attitude, but she's the sweetest little girl I've ever met. You've done an amazing job with her." I paused and looked up to find him smiling at me. "You have no idea how reassuring it is to know that my child is going to have you as a father. I don't have to worry about totally screwing his or her life up if you're by my side."

His smile widened into an even more glorious one as he walked over to me and kissed my forehead before sitting down in the chair next to mine.

"So, what was up with your phone call?" He asked as I took another bite of my cereal. "What made you decide that you wanted me here instead of giving you space? I mean…not that I'm not happy that you want me here. I am."

I swallowed my cheerios and sighed.

"I never wanted you to leave me alone. Not really. I just…I don't know. All of my emotions are kind of up in the air right now."

"I know. And I want you to know that I'm very understanding of that." He said, brushing some hair off of my shoulder.

"I know you are. And I'm sorry for being such a bitch to you earlier. I am so, so grateful for all of your support. I don't know what my problem was."

"It's okay. I think you're permitted to be a little bit of a bitch right now, baby." He said with a small smile.

"Well, to answer your question I guess, I had a moment. And it made me miss you."

"What kind of moment?"

I took my last bite of cheerios and then pushed my bowl away and turned towards Edward so that I could give him my undivided attention.

"Well I took a shower and then when I got out I was putting on some lotion and brushing through my hair and all that. So I was naked, and I started looking at myself in the mirror, and I was trying to imagine myself with a little baby bump. And it was _so weird_."

Edward starting laughing and that made me laugh.

"That is a weird thought, huh?" He said through his laughter. "I mean, you're so tiny. I can't even imagine what you will look like with a huge belly."

"I know, right?" I said, laughing harder. "I'm going to look ridiculous."

"That was your moment?" He asked, raising his eyebrows at me.

"No, no, it's wasn't. I'm getting off topic."

"What was your moment then?"

"Well, first I was imagining myself like nine months pregnant and that was just funny. But then I started imagining what the baby itself would look like. And I started imagining this little baby boy crawling around that looked exactly like you." I paused and bit my lip, suddenly starting to feel a little emotional again. "And it was the most heartwarming thought ever. So that made me think of how I want our baby to be just like you, and that got me thinking about how happy I am that my baby is going to have such an amazing man for a father."

"That's sweet, baby." Edward said, smiling at me softly and reaching over to stroke my cheek with the back of his hand.

"It's true." I answered, reaching up to take his hand and lace our fingers together. "But I _still_ haven't even gotten to my moment, Edward."

"You haven't? Man, here I was thinking that it was all about me." He said, smirking at me.

"Nope, sorry." I said, smiling.

"Well by all means, go on."

"I was thinking about everything; having a baby with you, what I would look like pregnant, what a little mini Edward might look like, what an amazing father you already are and are going to be again…and I was excited."

I paused and he looked at me like he was waiting for me to continue.

"That was your moment?" He asked after a little while.

"Yes! I was excited, baby!" I yelled, making him jump a little.

"That's great, sweetie." He said, smiling at me but clearly not getting it.

"No, you don't get it! I was _excited_. I didn't think I would actually feel _excited_ about this situation for a long time. But I was, even if it was just a little bit. I'm still scared, but I know that I can do this. I can do this because I have you. And I _want_ a baby with you. I mean, obviously if it was up to me I would have waited a little longer. But this is still something that I want, even if it is a little early."

"Well I can see why you would be surprised that you feel that way. It's kind of taboo for a nineteen year old to be pregnant and happy about it."

"I mean, I'm not saying that I'm completely content with everything. I know that it's going to be hard and I know that I'm going to have to work hard at this. But I want this with you. I want to have your babies and I want to be with you and I want to grow with you. I want _you_."

"You have me, Bella." He smiled.

"But I want all of you." I said and then swallowed, emotions coming back again. "I want everything with you." I continued, tears starting to pool in my eyes. They weren't tears of sadness _or_ happiness. They were simply tears of intense feelings. "I want you so bad. And even though this is all happening ridiculously fast, this is a step in the direction of having everything with you. How can I be upset about that? It's what I want. I want you. I want you so bad, Edward." I told him insistently, feeling like it was impossible to properly convey to him just how strong my feelings really were.

"You have me, baby." Edward said soothingly, leaning in to rest his forehead against mine. "Shh…you have me. You already have me, baby girl."

And then he kissed me, and I knew.

Everything was going to be okay.

Everything was going to be perfectly fine.

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**A/N:**

**I know that this chapter wasn't as long as the last, but the entire last chapter was from EPOV and I wanted to share a little bit of what Bella was feeling. So this was more like Part 2 of the last chap. Next chapter we will move on, Bella and Edward will visit the coochie doctor, and Bella will have to face her dad! Ahh! Drama!**

**So, as I said up top, I did promise a Trophy Wife update before this one came out. HOWEVER, I wanted to get this out first as a thank you for hitting 3000 reviews with the last chapter! This story has by far surpassed any expectations that I had for it, and it blows me away. I have grown so much as a writer since starting this story. But anyway…**

**DON'T WORRY!**

**The Trophy Wife chapter seriously is almost finished. Expect it in two or three days. I'm already up to a 7k word count on it. And just to prove that I really **_**have**_** been working on it, I've decided to give you all a little teaser here (think of it as a little thank you for reading both of my stories) and hey, maybe I'll kill two birds with one stone and even get those of you who don't read My Life as a Trophy Wife (gasp!) to go check it out. Enjoy!**

**Jenna.**

****Teaser for chapter 10 of My Life as a Trophy Wife****

"As wonderful as that skirt looks on you…" He started, shifting his gaze down from my chest to my waist. "Lose it."

I smiled and reached behind myself to slide down the zipper of my skirt, excited to see his reaction to the skimpy black panties that matched my bra. I started to shimmy out of my skirt, slowly sliding it down my thighs. All the while I kept my eyes fixated on Edward's face, watching him stare at me shamelessly as I continued to strip down. I was surprised when he literally, although quietly, groaned as I revealed my panties. That boosted my confidence even more and made me smile.

"Like what you see?" I asked as I let my skirt fall down around my ankles.

"Let's just say I hope you have more lingerie sets like that." He answered, eyes raking up and down my legs.

"I do." I said, kicking my skirt towards him playfully. "Your turn."

His hands flew up to his belt buckle, which he quickly undid. He slid his belt off through the loops and tossed it aside, eyes still roaming over my body as he did. He carefully stepped out of his black dress pants and then folded them and set them down on the chair.

Apparently Edward was a boxer briefs guy…and he looked damn good in them. The ones that he was wearing at that particular moment were black and _just_ tight enough.

"Ball is in your court, Isabella." He said softly, eyes fixated on my breasts once again.

Silly Edward. Did he really think that I was about to just strip down naked in front of him? I didn't give a shit about my bra and panties, it covered more than my bikinis for fucks sake, but naked? Really? I mean, come on. We weren't married yet and therefore I was pretty sure that I didn't have to obey his pervy 'we have sex whenever I want' rules yet. So I wasn't just going to let him see my goodies for free. No way. My cookies were staying _in_ the cookie jar for now.

_Amateur._

"Hmm…" I said, biting my lip thoughtfully and playing with the waistband of my panties. "What to take off first…" I mused, raising one hand to tap my chin. I was pretty fucking drunk, and the liquid courage had motivated me to fuck with Edward.

Figuratively, of course.

We all know I'm a lady.

"The bra." Edward interjected quickly. "You should definitely take off the bra."

"Oh, I should?" I asked, thoroughly amused.

"Yes." He answered before licking his lips sensually.

I slowly walked over to him and stopped right in front of him so we were standing mere inches apart. I looked up at him through my eyelashes and smiled at him sweetly, but he just looked down at me expectantly.

"Close your eyes." I said softly.

He swallowed and then surprisingly, he obeyed me. His eyes fluttered closed and I smiled contently.

"Keep them closed." I instructed.

I lifted both of my hands, my left going to rest on his shoulder and my right moving higher to trace his bottom lip with my finger. Then I slid that finger down, tracing across his prominent jaw line and down to his collar bone. I continued tracing a path down his chest and then right down the defined line that ran down his abs. When my finger reached the waistband of his boxer briefs I paused and let my hand linger there, toying gently with the elastic.

And then I turned and ran to the pool and did a cannonball into the water, leaving Edward standing there with his eyes closed like a fool.

By the time I had swam back up to break the surface, Edward was already standing at the side of the pool, glaring at me.

"I never took you for a cocktease, Isabella. I guess I was wrong."

"Oh, come on. Don't get your panties in a bunch." I answered, rolling my eyes.

"That was cruel." He answered, although he seemed to be suppressing a laugh.

"Get in!" I yelled, splashing some water up at him.

"Oh, you're gonna get it." He growled before lithely diving into the water.

**What do you think? Anyone motivated to go check it out?**

**Jenn :)**


	33. Love

**A/N: I'm sorry for the delay again, but I think I've been in denial and I'm just now finally accepting that I've been struggling with postpartum depression all this time. But like I've said before, you all (assuming I even still have readers) have my guarantee that this story will indeed be completed.**

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**EPOV**

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It had been one week since Bella had come to stay with me, and thankfully she hadn't left. I needed her with me. Everything else we could take one day at a time. I just knew that I needed her with me.

Yet, unfortunately, things were still far from perfect. I had spent a lot of time holding Bella as she cried, listening to her fears, and trying to reassure her that we would be fine. She kept telling me over and over again that it wasn't having a baby with _me_ that was freaking her out; it was everything happening so suddenly. I tried continuously to reassure her that I knew that and that she didn't have to worry about sharing her nervousness with me. I wanted to support her in any way that she would let me.

To deal with it all, we had sort of retreated into our own little bubble. We hadn't seen any of our friends. Bella spent all of her time at my house and if I wasn't working, I was there with her. Unfortunately, most of her time was spent in my bed. Normally that would thrill me, but not under the circumstances. Even if she wasn't in bed, she pretty much stayed in her pajamas all day. She hadn't left the house at all. Much to my frustration and disappointment, not even for school. So far she'd missed six school days, which was three days of each class she was in. I knew how much harder it would be for her if she fell behind, but it wasn't my place to force her to go. And after her little outburst at me on Tuesday for being too pushy, I wasn't even going to try.

However, it was now Monday and I was going to try to be as optimistic about the new week as I could. Thankfully, even though Bella had gotten upset with me for making a doctor's appointment without consulting her, she didn't make me cancel it. Once she calmed down and I was able to reason with her, I think she got my point about not wanting to use her regular gynecologist. The idiot woman hadn't even warned Bella about switching birth controls, so she had already lost credibility with me. I asked Bella to at least give the doctor I had selected a try, and was relieved when she agreed. Our appointment was for that afternoon, so I had made sure to be able to leave work around noon.

There was no way Bella was going to that appointment without me.

As I drove home from the hospital I felt like a total tool driving Bella's white and pink detailed Mustang. I would much rather be in my own car, But I'd been leaving it home with Bella all week. She's been there with Chelsea and if they needed to go somewhere Bella needed to have a car that Chelsea's booster seat would actually fit in. I knew that Bella was going to have to get a new car before this baby came, something she probably hadn't thought about yet, and I knew that she wouldn't be happy about it. She adored her Mustang, and I hated the thought that it was just another thing she was going to have taken away from her. Maybe she could still keep it, but she'd definitely have to have another car if she was driving children around. I certainly wasn't going to be leaving the Range Rover with her while I drove around the Mustang _permanently._ No way.

As I approached the house and pulled into the driveway, I noticed that Bella had the Range Rover backed into the garage so that the back end was facing the door. Had she actually gone somewhere today? Did she go to school? And why did she park the car like that? Eager to find out, I parked in the driveway and made my way through the garage to the door that led to the kitchen.

When I walked in I was surprised to find that not only was Bella out of bed and fully dressed in real clothes, but she was standing in front of the refrigerator, unpacking groceries. That explained the way that the car was parked. I guess she'd been unloading a bunch of grocery bags.

"Hey." I said as I closed the door behind me.

She jumped a little in surprise but smiled when she turned around and saw me.

"Hi. I didn't hear you come in." She said, still smiling.

"It looks like somebody's been busy." I commented, looking at all of the grocery bags covering the island countertop.

"Oh, yeah. I guess I got more than I planned to…"

"Where's Chelsea?" I asked.

"She's upstairs taking a nap."

I put her car keys down on the table and then went over to her and kissed her soft lips.

"You look nice." I commented as I pulled away.

She was dressed in some faded jeans and a gray button up sweater covering a lacey white tank top. She'd even put in the effort to do her hair and put on makeup. She really did look lovely. She was always beautiful to me no matter what she was wearing, but I was glad to see her looking more like her usual self.

As I looked over her body some more, I noticed that her jeans appeared to be low rise, her sweater not quiet meeting the waistline and exposing just a little sliver of her still flat stomach. It was sexy. And even though we were in the midst of a delicate situation, I was still a man, and I couldn't help but admire the view.

"Thanks. Surprisingly, it actually feels pretty good to be in real clothes as opposed to sweats or pajamas. I feel more…put together, I guess."

"Well you look more put together too. Did you go to class today?"

"I did." She confirmed with a nod.

"That's great, Bella." I said, leaning down to kiss her again. "I'm glad."

"It felt good to get out and be productive. I guess it kind of motivated me." She said with a shrug.

"To go to the grocery store?" I asked, smirking at her.

"That's not what I meant, dickwad." She answering, shoving me in the shoulder playfully. "Well, I guess it kind of is…" She added, looking down a little and biting her lip.

"I'm joking, Bella." I said, laughing as I pulled her into my arms for a hug.

"But they're not just _any_ groceries." She answered, wrapping her arms around my neck.

"Oh really? Are they _special_ groceries?" I teased her.

"Don't make fun of me." She pouted adorably, stretching up to press her lips against mine.

"Never, baby." I whispered back, happy to be joking around with her after a stressful week.

"And yes, for your information, they are indeed _special_ groceries."

"Special how?" I asked curiously, squeezing her waist in my arms.

She pulled back from me a little so that her feet were flat against the floor again. She blushed just slightly and started chewing on the inside of her cheek, looking completely adorable.

"It's all food that I read is good for…you know…" She trailed off, reaching down to lightly touch her stomach.

"For pregnant women?"

"Yeah. I, uh, I couldn't fall back asleep after you left this morning. So I got online and started reading about what to expect at the gynecologist this afternoon, because I was kind of nervous about our first appointment. And one page led to another and then I found myself on some website about nutrition for pregnant women. And it was really interesting. It said that you're supposed to eat five or six small meals throughout the day and outlined what different foods were best and it even had multiple meal plans to pick and choose from and well…I guess I got a little excited. I planned out all of my meals and made a whole grocery list. So when I got out of class I went and picked up Chelsea from preschool and then we went to the grocery store. She fell asleep on the way home."

"Wow." I said, surprised at her sudden, strong interest in prenatal nutrition.

"Yeah…" She mumbled, still looking a little embarrassed.

"That's great, though. Nutrition is important. You're body is about to do a lot of changing, what you're fueling it with is really important." I said, wanting her to know that I totally encouraged her, even if she was feeling embarrassed for whatever reason.

She broke into a little fit of giggles, closing the small space between us to laugh against my chest.

"You…you sound like such a doctor." She giggled, voice muffled a little from her face against my shirt.

"I _am_ a doctor." I answered, laughing with her.

"Yeah, but you're not a gynecologist." She answered.

"But I've been to medical school. I could deliver our baby myself if I really had to."

"Whatever." She said, laughing off my comment.

"What? You don't believe me?"

"Not really. You're a surgeon. What do you know about delivering babies?"

"Obstetrics is part of medical school, Bella. Everyone who studies in medical school has to study at least _some_ Obstetrics."

"You seriously think you'd be capable of delivering our baby?"

"I know I would." I answered confidently.

"If that's true," She started skeptically. "Then why do people married to doctors have someone else deliver their babies?"

"Precaution, of course." I answered. "I mean, it's not like we _have_ to have a gynecologist do it. People without any training at all chose to have at home births all the time. But I _personally_ would never attempt to deliver a baby myself unless I absolutely had to. I'd have no problem with it if everything were to go as smoothly as it's supposed to, but heaven forbid some complication were to occur. We'd want someone specialized who would know how to handle it."

"Hmm…" She hummed, lifting her arm so that both were wrapped around my neck again. "That's kind of sexy." She said, smiling up at me.

"What's sexy?"

"What if nine months from now I went into labor and for some reason there was no way we could get to a hospital? It's kind of sexy to think that my smart doctor boyfriend could take care of me."

I smiled and leaned down to press my lips against hers.

"I'll always take care of you, baby."

She surprised me by not only kissing me back, but pushing her tongue into my mouth to caress my own. The only remotely sexual touches we'd shared in the past week were hugs and chaste kisses. So even just the feeling of her tongue against mine got me going a little bit. She sighed into my mouth and I tightened my arms around her waist, thriving off of her closeness.

As our lips moved against one another's, our holds on each other tightened. Her body pressed up tightly against mine felt so good. We'd even be sleeping with distance between us, and I hadn't realized until then how much I'd been missing just holding her. I guess I'd been so wrapped up with worry and stress that I'd been neglecting the more intimate side of our relationship.

Her hand twisted against my neck to lightly stroke the hair at the back of it, making me hum. I pulled her even more tightly against me and she whimpered adorably. My body was starting to react more and more to her, but I knew in the back of my mind that we didn't have time for this. We had to get going to our doctor's appointment. So I gave her one more passionate kiss, a light peck on the lips, and then a soft kiss on her forehead before I pulled back to smile down at her.

"Edward…" She whined, resting her head against my shoulder.

"What, baby?" I asked, running my fingers through her silky hair.

"I'm horny." She whispered, barely audible and maybe a little embarrassed sounding.

I swallowed hard and sighed. Any man that has ever heard his girl tell him that she's horny knows that is _not_ an easy statement to brush off. If my dick wasn't hard before, it definitely was now.

"We have to go to the appointment." I told her.

"We have time for a quickie…" She suggested timidly.

We probably did have time for a quickie, but I wasn't interested in one. We were going through a tough time, and I knew that a quickie wouldn't have felt right. I didn't want to bust out a quick fuck before our doctor appointment. Call me a pussy, but all I wanted to do was take her to bed and take my time making love to her.

"I know, but are you really feeling like a quickie right now?"

"Do you not want me?" She asked, looking up at me with her big brown eyes, damn near breaking my heart.

"No, baby, of course I do. That's not it at all. I just want to take my time with you and enjoy you."

"Oh."

"Tonight, okay?" I said, hoping that she understood.

"Okay." She said, giving me a small smile.

I tightened my arms around her in a hug, leaning down to kiss behind her ear before whispering into it.

"I'll make you come over and over all night long if you want."

She shivered in my arms and then gently pushed me away.

"Stop it." She whined. "You're making me wet…"

_Oh dear God…_

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After helping Bella unload the rest of her groceries, I left her to go take a shower. As I washed myself I thought about our impending doctor appointment, and noticed that I still felt a little shell shocked. A mere week ago we were totally normal, celebrating Bella's birthday. And now, we were expecting a child. I felt that I'd done a pretty good job of adjusting to the news, but when I really let myself think about it, I was still a little shaken. Maybe it didn't feel entirely real yet, but I had a feeling that would change after that afternoon.

When I stepped out of the bathroom and back into the bedroom, I saw Bella curled up on the bed with my pillow watching T.V. She was so cute that I wanted go wrap her in my arms and never let her go, But I knew that I should keep my distance if I didn't want to fight off another boner.

I went over to the dresser and dropped my towel so I could pull on some boxer briefs and a pair of jeans. Then I grabbed a pair of socks out of the drawer and went to sit on the side of the bed to put them on. Almost immediately, I felt the bed move and then Bella behind me, hands caressing my back and arms.

"You have the sexiest back ever." She said quietly before kissing my shoulder.

"Thank you." I answered, smiling as I put my second sock on.

"It's almost as sexy as your sexy abs." She added, circling her arms around my midsection to feel my stomach.

"You really _are_ horny, aren't you?" I asked as I laughed.

"Yes." She sighed.

"I take it Emmett's not here yet?"

Emmett was coming over to watch Chelsea while we went to our appointment. It would be the first time I'd seen him since Bella's birthday party.

"No." She huffed, letting go of me and laying back down.

I turned to look at her. She looked a little upset.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing."

"Don't say nothing. I can tell something's wrong. What did I say? You were fine just a second ago."

"I was just all over you and you didn't even notice."

"That's not true. I did notice. But I already explained to you why I want to wait until later."

"I know."

"Then why are you mad?"

"I'm not mad. I just wish that you wanted me as much as I want you."

I sighed and shook my head. She was being ridiculous. It normally didn't bother me at all when she acted needy, quite the opposite actually, but she was getting mad over nothing. Didn't she realize that I had more pressing things on my mind than sex at the moment? Didn't she have more pressing things than sex on her mind too?

"Bella, just because I don't walk around her all day with a hard on trying to get my dick wet doesn't mean that I don't want you, okay? I'm not a horny one track minded teenage boy like the guys that you probably dated before me."

"You don't have to yell at me…" She mumbled, looking like I'd hurt her feelings.

"I'm not yelling at you, I just don't get why wanting to wait until later to have sex when we can do it properly means that I don't want you. I would think that if anything that's the more loving way to look at it. And to be honest, it kind of offends me that you would assume that I don't want you. I would do anything for you, Bella. Sex isn't the only reflection of my feelings for you."

"I know." She said quietly. "I'm sorry. You're right."

She looked down and toyed with the fabric of my comforter absentmindedly.

"Bella." I said softly, wanting her to look at me.

She didn't give me any indication that she even heard me.

"Bella." I repeated.

"Hmm" She mumbled quietly.

"Look at me."

"No." She answered, mumbling again.

"Baby, look at me."

She finally obliged, at least partially. She kept her head down, but shifted her eyes up to look at me.

"What?" She asked quietly.

"I love you. I love you so much that sometimes I don't feel like those three words even come close to expressing what I really feel for you. I know that right now is an emotional time, for both of us. And I understand that you're probably feeling particularly…_sensitive_ right now. But please, just remember that, okay? I love you."

She smiled at me weakly and lifted her head a little.

"I love you too." She said in a small voice.

"And I happen to think of you as my best friend, but that doesn't change the fact that you're also my lover. And please don't ever think that I don't think of you that way as well. I hate that you would even entertain the thought that I don't want you like that."

She sighed and crawled over to me on the bed, pushing my arms apart and working her way onto my lap.

"I know you love me, I'm just a big emotional mess right now." She said, wrapping her arms around my neck. "I'm sorry that you have to keep reassuring me."

"You're worth it. I'll reassure you every single day if you need me to."

"One day I'll get it through my thick head." She giggled, playing with my hair.

"Let me kiss those pretty little lips of yours." I said, pushing her hair out of her face.

She turned her head and pressed her lips against mine, simultaneously reaching down to lace her fingers with mine. We sat there and kissed languidly for a few minutes until the sound of the doorbell reverberated through the house. She pulled away from me as I kissed down her jaw, breathing in her scent.

"That must be Emmett. I'll get it. Finish getting dressed." She said as she climbed off of my lap and left the room.

I got up from the bed and went back over to the dresser to throw on a T shirt. Wondering if the doorbell may have woken Chelsea up, I figured I should probably head upstairs to check. As I made my way to the staircase I could hear Bella and Emmett chatting in the kitchen. I briefly wondered if Bella felt awkward seeing one of our friends for the first time since they all found out she was pregnant, but was confident that she was strong enough to handle it.

I was expecting to go into Chelsea's room and find her sleeping peacefully in her bed since she was a pretty heavy sleeper, so I was pretty surprised when I turned and started walking up the stairs only to find her adorable little face looking down at me. She was standing to the left of the staircase, looking down through the wooden banisters that overlooked the entry way.

"Well hello there, sleeping beauty." I said, smiling as I made my way up to her.

"Hi, Daddy." She answered softly, rubbing at her eyes with her palms.

Once I got to her I leaned down and swept her up into my arms, planting a big kiss on her cheek as I did. Her face was warm, which led me to assume that she had only just woken up.

"Did the doorbell wake you up?" I asked, holding her against me.

She smelled good, reminding me of how when she was a baby she smelled good literally all the time.

"Uh huh." She mumbled, resting her head against my shoulder.

"Uncle Emmett is here. Do you want to go down and see him?" I asked, smoothing down her messy hair.

"Yeah" She said happily, lifting her head to smile at me brightly.

I turned and started making my way back down the stairs, carrying Chelsea with me. I followed Bella and Emmett's voices back to the kitchen, where I found Bella perched on the counter top. Emmett stood across from her, leaning against the opposite counter, as he told her a story.

"Uncle Emmett!" Chelsea squealed when she saw him, squirming around in my arms.

I put her down on her feet and she ran straight to him, hugging his legs.

"Hey, munchkin!" Emmett answered, ruffling her hair affectionately.

I hated when he did that. That's something you to do a little boy, not my little girl.

"Did you come over just to see me?" Chelsea asked excitedly.

"Kind of. I came to hang out with you while Bella and your dad are gone. But you know what?" He asked, squatting down so he was face to face with her. "I would have come over to hang out with you even if they weren't leaving." He added in a whisper as if her were telling a secret.

"Where are you going, Daddy?" Chelsea asked, turning to me.

"I'm going with Bella to see the doctor." I answered.

"Why? Is she sick?" She asked worriedly, glancing over at Bella.

"No, she's not sick."

"Then why does she have to go to the doctor?"

I paused just briefly to mull over my answer. Now was _so_ not the time to get into this. What was I supposed to say, anyway? _No, Bella's not sick. She just has to go to the doctor because Daddy accidently impregnated her._

"She just needs to get a check up." I answered.

I glanced over at Bella to find her looking at me and biting her lip.

"Oh. I hope you don't have to get a shot, Bella." Chelsea frowned. "I hate getting shots."

"Thank you, sweetie." Bella answered, smiling at her. "I'll be fine."

"I bet if you want my Daddy will hold your hand for you if you get scared. He does that for me. Or you could take baby Bella with you. But you have to promise to bring her back."

"That's very sweet of you, Chelsea. Thank you. But I think you're Daddy will be enough. He's a good hand holder."

"Of course I am. I always take care of my girls." I said with a smile as I went over to Bella and kissed her cheek. "You ready, baby?"

"As ready as I'll ever be…" She mumbled, sliding down off the counter

"Alright, Chels, you be good for Uncle Emmett and have fun."

"Okay, Daddy." She answered, flashing me her angelic smile.

"I love you." I told her as I bent down to kiss her nose.

"Come on, Uncle Emmett, let's go play!" She yelled cheerfully, grabbing Emmett's hand and pulling him insistently towards the living room. "Bye, Daddy! Bye, Bella!" She called back over her shoulder.

"Alright, come on." I said, grabbing my keys off the counter and putting my hand on Bella's back to usher her towards the door.

Our drive to the doctor was fairly quiet. Actually, it was silent. We held hands across the console in my car, but neither of us said a word. I personally was lost in thoughts of what was to come in our relatively immediate future, and I could only assume that she was as well.

When I finally came to a stop in the parking lot and shifted the car into park, Bella didn't even seem to notice. She just sat there, seemingly lost in thought, staring out the window. I lifted her hand up to my mouth and turned it so I could kiss her palm. That she did notice, and turned her head to give me a small smile.

"You okay?" I asked before kissing her palm a second time.

"Yeah." She said with a nod. "I'm okay. I have you, after all."

"That's right. And I have you. And as long as we have each other, we'll be fine."

"I love you."

"I love you too. Now let's go." I said, releasing her hand and moving to open my door.

"Wait." She said, making me turn back towards her.

"What's wrong?" I asked with a frown.

"Nothing. Just kiss me first."

I smiled and leaned towards her, of course more than willing to grant her whatever she wanted.

Just like I had been all along.

Just like I planned on being for the rest of my life.

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Thirty minutes later, I found myself sitting next to Bella in the waiting room, glaring at the leg she would not stop bouncing. I reached out and put my hand on her thigh in an attempt to hold it steady.

"Babe, chill out. You're making me anxious." I said with a sigh.

"I'm sorry, I can't help it. Why haven't they called us yet?"

"I don't know, Bella."

"Isn't this guy supposed to be a friend of yours?"

"Yes, but that doesn't mean that we don't have to wait our turn. We were a little early, anyways. He's probably still with the patient before us."

"Are you nervous?" She asked, turning towards me.

"No." I said before leaning over to kiss her forehead.

Truth be told, I was nervous. But I didn't want her to know that. I wanted to come off as cool and collected as possible to try to calm her down a little bit.

"Isabella?"

Bella immediately whipped her head around in the direction of the nurse who had spoken.

"Yes, that's me." Bella answered, shooting up out of her seat.

"The doctor is ready to see you now." The nurse responded, smiling at Bella politely.

Bella turned to look down at me and suddenly there was a trace of irrational panic in her eyes.

"Edward, are you coming? You're coming, right? You have to come. I can't go back there by myself. I need you to come with m –"

"Bella, calm down." I said as I stood up. "Of course I'm coming with you."

Shaking my head at the notion that she would even think I would make her go back alone, I took her hand and led her as we followed the nurse back through the hallway. She led us to an examination room, gave Bella an examination gown to change into, and then left us to wait for the doctor.

"Do you think it's okay if I leave my bra on?" She asked with uncertainty as she slipped her jeans off.

"No, he's going to want to examine your breasts too. Take off everything. You should only have on the gown."

"Great…" She mumbled. "This is a pap smear all over again…"

"It'll be fast." I assured her as I enjoyed watching her undress.

"Stop looking at me like that. It's creepy." She said despite the amused smile on her face.

My hot as hell girlfriend is stripping down right in front of me and expects me not to thoroughly enjoy it?

Right.

"Sorry." I said in an unapologetic tone.

A knock on the door interrupted us just as Bella was finishing folding her clothes and placing them on a chair in the corner.

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**BPOV**

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After hearing a knock at the exam room door I turned towards it just in time to see the doctor walk in. I was nervous for more than one reason. The more obvious one of my worries was the actual reason that I was there. This would be the first time I was facing my pregnancy head on. It was another step in accepting it. But other than that, I was also a little nervous about the doctor I was seeing. I didn't regret agreeing to try out a new doctor to try to make Edward happy, but I worried that the fact that he and Edward knew each other might make things a little awkward. Edward told me that he was friends with this guy, and here I was about to show him my freaking cooch.

"Bella, I'm Doctor Reynolds." He said, flashing me an energetic smile. "It's nice to meet you. Edward spoke very highly of you on the phone."

The first thing I noticed about Doctor Reynolds was that he was very handsome. In fact, he was the second best looking doctor I'd ever met, the first of course being Edward.

"It's nice to meet you too." I said, smiling back at him.

"So, I hear my man Edward over here got you knocked up." He said, smirking over at Edward.

"Um…yeah." I said, laughing nervously.

"So this makes two unplanned pregnancies for you, huh Cullen?"

"What can I say?" Edward shrugged along with a smile. "I'm just so manly my little swimmers can't be stopped."

I rolled my eyes as they both laughed. It was clear that they had a playful friendship. In fact, Doctor Reynolds kind of reminded me of Emmett. It was strange.

"Alright, Bella. Hop on up and let's get you all checked out."

"Okay." I answered.

I stepped back and scooted up onto the exam table. The crinkling of the white paper, such a common doctor's office staple, made me uneasy. I always hated going to the doctor.

"Go ahead and lay back. Make yourself as comfortable as possible while I get everything set up over here."

"See, Edward?" I asked, not able to pass up an opportunity to tease him. "This is why we have to go to a real gynecologist. You would have no idea how to do this."

"You've got yourself a feisty one here, Cullen." Doctor Reynolds said as he chuckled.

"You're preaching to the choir." Edward answered.

I could tell by the sound of his voice that he was smirking.

"Seriously, though." I interjected. "Edward actually thinks that he'd be capable of delivering our baby." I said as I lay back on the exam bed, looking up at the white tiles in the ceiling.

"Why wouldn't he be?" Doctor Reynolds asked, totally serious.

"Uh, maybe because he's not a gynecologist?"

"Well he's been to medical school. There's a whole unit on it. Delivering babies is more basic than you may think. Nature does most of the work."

"That's exactly what I told her!" Edward said, sounding happy to have somebody stick up for him.

"He could probably examine you himself if he really wanted to." Doctor Reynolds joked as he continued getting his instruments ready.

"Don't worry, I'll give her a personal exam when we get home." Edward joked back, provoking both of them to laugh.

I felt myself blush as I imagined it.

"Alright, Bella," Doctor Reynolds started once his laughter had died down. "Go ahead and lift your feet up on the stirrups for me. I'm just going to start with a simple internal pelvic exam, just like you'd get in a routine pap smear. I know they're not very pleasant, but just try to relax."

I sighed and closed my eyes, preparing myself for the uncomfortable intrusion.

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**EPOV**

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Later that night back at home, things were more peaceful and relaxed than they'd been since Bella had first gotten the news of her pregnancy. Having already put Chelsea to bed, we were enjoying simply being together while we lounged in front of the T.V. in the living room. Well, more like _I_ was watching T.V. as I sprawled out across the recliner. Bella was half on top of me, her leg draped over my hips, and not even looking at the T.V. Her face was hidden in the crook of my neck. Her breathing was slow and even and I may have thought that she was asleep if it wasn't for the movements she was making to ever so often lightly kiss my neck or run her fingers through the hair at the back of it.

"Edward?" She whispered softly.

"Hmm?" I hummed back as I changed the channel to sports center.

"I think I'm going to go see my dad this weekend. I want to tell him."

I pressed the mute button on the remote and turned my head towards her.

"Really? Are you sure you want to tell him so soon? You don't want to wait a little while? Give yourself some more time to absorb it yourself first?"

"No. I think the sooner he knows, the more advanced warning he has, the better he'll handle it. Besides, I really need to tell him before I start showing."

"Well the doctor said you're probably only about four weeks along. You could still wait a couple of weeks to tell him before you start to show."

"Maybe. But I want to get it off my chest. He needs to know and there's no point in waiting. I hate keeping secrets from him."

"Well, obviously it's up to you to tell him whenever you want. It's short notice, but I think I'll be able to shuffle around my work schedule so I can go this weekend."

"Oh, well, I didn't…I mean, you don't have to go with me. That's not what I meant. I was just mentioning that _I_ want to go."

"Of course I want to go with you, Bella. That's not something you should have to do alone."

She propped herself up with her hand to look down at me.

"Edward, you can't go with me."

"Why not?" I asked with a frown, not understanding why she wouldn't want me there.

"Because. What if he shoots you?"

I couldn't help but laugh a little.

"I don't think he's going to shoot me."

"Yeah, well you don't know him like I do."

"Well I'm sure he's going to be pissed, but do you really think he's going to _shoot_ me?"

"I definitely wouldn't rule out the possibility."

"Well that's just a risk I'm going to have to take then. I'm not going to have you go alone. I know you're nervous enough as it is. I want to be there to support you. I had an equal part in this situation; I should have an equal part in facing your father."

She bit her lip thoughtfully.

"Well, I can't deny that it would be nice to have you there for support."

"Exactly."

"But I think if you're there it's only going to make him angrier. You're the last person he's going to want to see after I tell him."

"Well maybe I should go with you and just not be in the room when you tell him."

"Maybe."

"But I can absolutely be right next to you if you want me to."

"No, I think that's a good idea. You can go, but I don't think you should be right there when I tell him. And if his reaction is as bad as I worry it's going to be, then we can always just leave."

"That's true. We'll just have to take it one minute at a time."

"Yeah." She sighed.

"Thank you for agreeing to let me go. If you didn't I'd be worried sick about you the whole time."

"You're welcome." She said as she lowered herself back down to cuddle up to me again.

I gave her a quick kiss on her forehead and then unmuted the T.V.

Sports center captivated my attention again as Bella settled back in against me. Her weight in my arms felt so good, and I certainly didn't take it for granted. I kissed her hair and ran my fingertips up and down her arm, basking in her closeness. I would never understand how she was always so soft and warm and literally _always _smelled heavenly.

"Edward?"

"Yeah?"

She pushed herself up on her hand again and once again looked down at me. An adorable smile formed on her lips and her eyes had on excited gleam to them.

"What?" I asked with a small laugh, curious about what was making her smile like that.

"I believe you said something about orgasms earlier?"

I smiled up at her as I played dumb.

"Did I? Hmm, I don't recall that conversation."

"Mhmm." She said, giggling sweetly as she leaned down to press her lips against mine. "You definitely did. I believe it was something along the lines of making me come over and over all night long."

I kissed her with a smile on my lips.

"Ah, yes." I said as she pulled back. "That _does_ seem to ring a bell."

"I think you need to make good on that promise." She said in a sultry tone, rubbing her free hand over my chest.

"I'm definitely a man of my word." I smiled.

"Prove it." She said with a giggle.

"By all means, lead the way my love." I said, gesturing towards the bedroom.

"My pleasure."

She smiled as she hopped up off my lap and practically skipped towards my room.

"I'll be there in a second." I said as a thought struck me.

"Where are you going?" She asked, looking back at me over her shoulder.

"I just want to grab something from the kitchen. I'll be right behind you. Go ahead and go get sexy for me, and by sexy I mean naked." I said as I stood up.

"You are so cheesy." She giggled with an eye roll.

"It's part of my charm."

"Actually, I think its part of your old age."

"Ouch." I said, covering my heart with my hand.

"Hurry up." She said before going into the bedroom and disappearing from my view.

My dick was already starting to harden at the thought of Bella naked, but I tried my best to ignore it. I was planning on trying to keep it under control tonight for at least as long as I could, because I had other plans for that evening's festivities. Tonight, Bella's pussy had a date with my tongue.

I grabbed a bottle of water out of the refrigerator and carried it with me back towards the bedroom. I happen to know that there was nothing worse than getting dry mouth while trying to go down on a girl, so I was pretty proud of myself for thinking ahead and being prepared for a night full of Bella orgasms.

Bellagasms.

I smiled at my mental joke and crossed through the living room and down the hallway to my room. I walked in and closed the door behind me, making sure to lock it.

Then I turned around and had my breath taken away.

There, lying in the middle of my bed, was a naked Bella. She was waiting for me with a smile on her face and her hair all fanned out around her, looking all sweet and angelic like. The only light on in the room was the small lamp on the bedside table. It expelled just the right amount of soft light to shine over the creamy skin of her body. It made her look all soft and smooth and oh so touchable. I couldn't help but smile down at her as I walked towards the bed. She broke into a fit giggles and my eyes immediately shifted to her jiggling breasts.

"What's funny?" I asked with a laugh.

"You." She giggled. "Are we planning on a sex marathon?"

"What?"

"The water." She said, nodding her head towards the bottle of water in my hand. "Did you need supplies for rehydration?" She asked, giggling again.

"Oh," I said, looking down at the water. "No, it's not for hydration." I said, going to put it down on the nightstand.

"What's it for then?"

"So my mouth doesn't get dry."

"Why would your mouth get dry?"

"Because I'm gonna be eating your pussy all night."

I turned to look at her just in time to see her smile fade and her expression shift into one of lust and desire. She bit her lip softly and arched her back slightly. I knew that look. My Bella was turned on and heating up.

"Edward…" She whispered, looking up at me with lustful eyes.

I put the water down and then lifted my arms and pulled my shirt off. I followed that up with my pants and my socks so that I was left in only my boxer briefs. I moved over to the side of the bed and got on it on my knees. Then I crawled my way over between Bella's legs, kneeling. I put my hands on her knees and slid them up, rubbing them over her thighs. I let my eyes roam up from her hips to her rosy pink nipples up to her gorgeous face.

"You're so beautiful. I'm blown away every time I have the privilege of seeing you naked."

She put her hands on my forearms and looked up at me with me with so much love it made my heart swell.

"Love me." She whispered.

"You have no idea how much I love you." I answered, leaning over her to press my lips gently against hers.

"Show me." She said softly against my mouth.

I kissed her cheek, and then began my descent down her body. I kissed every inch of skin in my path. I kissed her neck, her collar bone, her chest, her breasts, her ribs, down her stomach, and across her hips. From her hips I intentionally skipped over her womanhood and began lavishing her inner thighs with open mouthed kisses. It didn't take long for her to start arching her back and rolling her hips up towards me, clearly getting frustrated with my lack of attention to where I'm sure she really wanted me.

I teased her for a while, kissing everywhere around her slit, but neglecting giving it any direct attention. I let my hands rub over her thighs and then hooked my forearms underneath them, grasping her hips in my hands. Her pelvis automatically tilted up, and her whimpers made me decide it was time to get down to business. I squeezed her hips gently and then released them so I could move my hands down to her womanhood.

At this point I was lying on my stomach between her legs, my face just inches away from her slit. I used one finger to just lightly trace over her lower lips and she whimpered again at the contact. I did this for a while before I decided to move on, not wanting her to get _too_ frustrated.

I moved my thumbs to either side of her opening, just a little below her clit, and spread her open in front of me.

I swear Bella Swan has the most beautiful pussy on the planet.

It may sound weird to refer to that part of her body as beautiful, but it really was. I'd seen a pretty decent amount of vaginas in my life, whether it be from personal experiences or when I first discovered porn at fourteen, and it was definitely enough to know that Bella's was undeniably above average. Strangely enough, the best word I could think of to describe it was petite. Sort of like her. It was small and dainty, cute little lips, and perfectly proportioned. She never ever tasted undesirably at all, quite the contrary actually. And to top it all off, she was the perfect shade of pink.

"Edward, stop staring." She muttered, blushing as I looked up at her.

"Why? It's mine. I can look at it if I want to." I said with a smirk.

"You're right, it is yours. Which means it's your responsibility to take care of. So how about you try doing something _more_ than just looking it."

"You're so cute." I said, laughing.

"Edward…come on…" She whined, wiggling her hips in front of my face.

"Okay, okay, relax." I said, shifting my focus back down to her womanhood.

She was so wet she was glistening. It was beautiful.

I leaned my head forward and stuck my tongue out to gently lick her clit. She sighed softly and opened her legs a bit wider for me, a silent confirmation that I was on the right track to what she wanted. I lapped at her clit slowly and gently for a while, knowing that she liked to be eased into oral stimulation.

"Edward, hold my hand." She whispered, reaching down to me.

I continued to lick at her clit softly as I complied, placing my hand palm up to the side of her hip. She grabbed it quickly, lacing our fingers together and squeezing lightly.

I put my tongue flat against her clit and slid it up and down, starting out slow but progressively getting faster. She moaned softly and her legs twitched a little. Catching the cues that she liked it, I continued. I continued slowly accelerating my speed while also slowly adding more and more pressure with my tongue.

I felt Bella put her free hand in my hair at the same time she rolled her hips up against my face. I knew she wanted more so I wrapped my lips around her clit, also flattening my tongue against it, and sucked gently. She moaned loudly so I sucked a little harder, earning a second moan.

As I continued to apply suction to her bundle of nerves I also rolled my tongue against it, but I knew that still wouldn't be enough to completely satisfy her. I spoiled my girl in the bedroom, and I knew she would still want more.

Deciding that I needed my hand, I pulled back momentarily and kissed the back of hers before releasing it. I put my lips back around her clit immediately and ran my now free hand up her thigh until my fingers found her awaiting opening, right below my chin. I slipped my middle finger into her silky heat and enjoyed the rewarding sound of her long moan.

I slid my finger all the way into her and pressed the pad of my finger up against the top wall of her pussy, wanting to find her G spot. I pushed up with a little bit of pressure and slowly pulled back towards myself until I felt the spongy tissue I was looking for. If I hadn't known I'd found it just by recognizing the feel of it, I certainly would have known from her reaction. She whimpered adorably which then turned into a long moan, simultaneously arching her back in pleasure.

From there, I lost myself in her. I closed my eyes and did everything I knew to bring her pleasure with my mouth while she ground herself up against my face. I relished in her moans and whimpers, which made me want to continue on and on with more and more fervor. I got a high from pleasing her that was like no other feeling in the world.

It didn't take long for it to become evident that she was approaching climax. It actually happened much quicker than I anticipated. Her legs started quivering, her back arched sharply, and her moans got that certain tone that she always got when she was almost there.

"Edward, I…I…I'm gonna…"

I wanted to pull back, smirk up at her, and tell her that I already knew, but I didn't want to stop and have her lose her orgasm. So instead I moaned in acknowledgement of her impending climax and amped up my efforts, sucking harder and moving my tongue faster against her.

Just moments later she gasped, her breath hitched, and surprisingly she stayed completely silent as her orgasm rolled through her body. The only reason I was even sure that she was in fact having an orgasm at all was because of her clenching and pulsing around my finger.

As incredibly cheesy as it sounds, it really did warm my heart every time I was able to make Bella orgasm. That was such an intimate thing to experience with someone in the first place, but it made me feel so much more strongly about it to know that I was the only one to ever have given her that pleasure. I felt lucky to have the privilege of sharing that with her, and I prayed that I would be the only one ever.

I continued gently suckling on her clit until I was sure she was finished. Then I pulled back and turned my head to kiss the inside of her thigh as a slid my finger out of her. Pretty much my whole hand was wet, but I didn't mind at all.

"Do you want me to keep going, baby?" I asked, wanting to know if she was too sensitive.

"Just give me a minute." She sighed.

I nodded and kissed the inside of her thigh again before getting up.

"I'll be right back, okay?"

"Where are you going?" She asked, looking up at me with misty eyes.

"I'm just going to the bathroom. I'll be right back."

"Don't take too long." She muttered, letting her eyes flutter closed.

I slipped into the bathroom and quickly washed my hands and rinsed my mouth out. I wanted to pee, but I knew that would be more hassle than it was worth to try to get the job done with a rock hard boner. I didn't have to go that bad anyway so I skipped the toilet and hurried back out into the bedroom, eager to get back to Bella.

She was laying just the way I left her, naked and uncovered and eyes closed peacefully. Her breathing was slow and even, breasts rising and falling gloriously, and I somewhat wondered if she were sleeping.

I moved over to the bed and placed one hand at her side furthest from me so I could lean over her and ever so gently kiss her forehead.

"Don't feel asleep." I whispered. "This was supposed to be a night full of orgasms, remember?"

Her eyes slid open slowly and she looked up at me with a look of need.

"I love you." She said softly, gazing into my eyes.

"I love you too." I said, leaning down again to softly kiss her lips.

"Sometimes I feel like I love you so much I can't even hold it all in."

"I know the feeling."

"You're my dream man. I wouldn't change anything about you."

"Even me being a single father?"

"Especially that."

"I love how much you love her."

"I'm not going to say that's something I would have said that I wanted in a man before I met you, but now, I wouldn't change it for anything."

"I wouldn't change anything about you either, baby."

"Not even my age?"

"No. Because that's part of who you are. It made me apprehensive of you at first, but honestly, I don't even notice it now."

"You're my soul mate." She breathed, stretching up to kiss me again.

"You're my girl." I answered against her lips.

"Make love to me." She whispered, resting her forehead against mine.

I spent the majority of that night worshiping her body, two people truly connected as one in every way. And just like that, we were back. Back to Edward and Bella, two unsuspecting victims of blindsiding love. Only now, we were also two people who had created a life together.

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**A/N: I know I don't deserve it, but any reviews would be greatly appreciated. I meant what I said when I promised that this story would be completed. **


	34. Needs Part 1

**A/N:**

**I own no character names, but I do own the plot and my own version of sexy dadward. **

**For those who have been asking, I do feel much better, thanks you. All of the encouragement from those who have gone through PPD themselves has been amazing and touching. Thank you, truly. **

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**BPOV**

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The morning that Edward and I planned to go see my father, I was up at five AM. Edward slept peacefully next to me, arm draped over my waist, but no matter how hard I tried I could not fall back asleep. So, accepting that I was up for the day, I slipped out from under Edward's arm and got out of bed. As I gathered my hair up into a ponytail I quietly made my way to the dresser where I then slipped on my favorite white lace panties, which I knew Edward loved, and one of his grey T shirts.

I spent about an hour watching TV in the living room, but it didn't at all keep me entertained or hold my attention. My mind was elsewhere, caught up with nervous thoughts of what the day had in store. I was terrified of how my father was going to react to the news that I had to tell him. The only thought that comforted me was how incredibly loving and supportive Edward was. He would do anything for me, and I knew I was lucky to have him. No matter how my dad reacted, at least I knew that I would have him. Most girls that get pregnant as teenagers end up doing it alone, but I had Edward.

After an hour of sitting there going crazy in my own head, I decided that I needed a better distraction than television. So I got up and made my way to the kitchen, thinking I would make Edward breakfast. Then, I would even have an excuse to wake him up. That's all I had to wait for before we could leave anyway. Edward had taken Chelsea to spend the night with Alice and Rosalie at my apartment the night before. Chelsea was nervous about it at first since she still didn't know them very well, but her mood turned right around when Alice started telling her all of the fun things she had planned for them. I knew that she would end up having a good time and it was good for me and Edward because we didn't have to deal with getting her ready and dropping her off somewhere on our way out of town. All we had to do was get ourselves together and get on the road. So, anxious for the day to be over with, I really wanted Edward to wake up relatively early.

I was pleasantly surprised and happy to find plenty of ingredients in the kitchen to make an awesome breakfast. I put on a pot of coffee and then got to work on some bacon, eggs, French toast, and strawberries. Thankfully, cooking kept my attention much better than TV. I still felt a sense of underlying anxiousness, but I was able to keep myself calmer than I thought I'd be able to.

About thirty minutes later I was finishing up frying the bacon on the stove when I felt two big, familiar arms wrap around me from behind. I jumped just slightly in surprise but instantly relaxed into Edward's arms once I realized it was him.

I felt his lips in my hair as he kissed the side of my head sweetly. His embrace was incredibly warm, and it felt so good.

"Morning, baby." He mumbled, voice thick with sleep.

"I'm surprised you're up so early. I thought you'd at least sleep in a little bit after working so late last night."

"Internal time clock." He said simply, slipping his hands up underneath the T shirt I was wearing to caress my sides. "And the smell of coffee. That always wakes me up for some reason."

"I see." I answered, enjoying the feel of his warm hands on my body.

"Speaking of coffee, why'd you make it? I thought I told you I didn't really want you drinking it."

"It's for you." I explained, flipping over a piece of bacon.

"Mm, my girl is so sweet." He said softly before kissing my head again.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Mhmm. At least, up until I woke up without you. I didn't like that part very much."

"I bet you won't mind my sneaking out of bed early once you dig in to all of this food."

"I love these panties." He said as he moved his hands down to caress my hips, feeling the lacey material.

"I know you do. I thought of you when I put them on."

"You can think of me again while I take them off." He said smoothly as he hooked his thumb underneath the elastic band and gently tugged.

"No, no, no…none of that." I said with a smile as I swatted his hand away. "Unless you want burned bacon."

"After breakfast?" he asked, moving both hands around to cup my backside and give it a squeeze.

"No." I said, squirming away from his hands as I laughed. "I want to get an early start to my dad's house. The sooner we get this over with, the better." I sighed, feeling nerves bubble up in my stomach again.

"Alright, alright. How much longer until all of this is ready?"

"Just a few more minutes. I just need to scramble up some eggs but that won't take long at all."

"Call me when it's done? I'm gonna take my coffee in the living room to go watch the news."

"Yeah, okay." I answered as I felt his hands leave my body.

I heard Edward rummaging around behind me as he poured himself a cup of coffee and then the sound of his footsteps faded off towards the living room. I turned off the heat underneath the bacon and moved the slices onto a plate, leaving the pan in the sink. Then I tried to be quick at making the eggs, cracking them into a pan and cranking up the heat underneath them.

Once everything was ready I decided to take the food to Edward instead of calling him into the kitchen. And instead of trying to carry two plates and my glass of orange juice, I went ahead and just piled some of everything onto one plate for us to share.

I found him lounging in the oversized comfy recliner, sipping his coffee and watching the news just like I knew he would be. I hadn't actually looked at him in the kitchen, he'd only been behind me, and I couldn't help but smile at what I saw. He was shirtless and scratching his bare stomach absentmindedly as he let out a big yawn that looked more like a roar. His hair was an absolute mess and his eyes still looked a little bit sleepily unfocused.

As I approached he routinely opened his arms for me without even looking away from the TV. He knew the drill. Any time he was in that chair and I was going to join him in the living room, I always sat on his lap. The chair was oversized and big enough for us both anyway, even though Edward's lap was much more comfortable to me than any chair would be regardless.

I settled down onto him just like I always did, sideways with my legs hooked over his thighs. He looked at me and smiled but then looked down at the plate and frowned.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"You only got one fork."

"Oh," I said, looking down at the plate. "I didn't think because I only got one plate. I'll go get another one." I said as I started to get back up.

"No, no, it's okay." He answered, putting his hand on my leg to stop me. "You'll just have to feed me." He smirked as he sat his coffee mug down on the side table.

I laughed as I put my glass of orange juice down next to his mug.

"You're so high maintenance." I said sarcastically with a dramatic eye roll.

I stabbed a piece of French toast and popped it into my mouth as Edward picked up a piece of bacon and bit off half of it one bite.

"So," he started once he had swallowed. "Are you ready for today?"

I sighed as I stabbed another piece of French toast, this time popping it into Edward's mouth. He looked up at me questioningly as he chewed. Being around Edward was the best distraction I could ask for to keep me from thinking about my father, but of course I couldn't help it if he wanted to talk about it.

"No, but I'm never going to be ready for this. How is any teenager ever ready to tell their father that they're pregnant?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right." He said before taking another bite of bacon.

"But I guess I _am _ready in a way. I'm definitely ready to get it over with."

"Try not to worry so much." He said, rubbing my leg with his free hand. "You're dad is a good guy. I'm sure he's not going to be a happy, but I think you're worrying too much."

"Easy for you to say." I mumbled. "You don't even know him. You've only met him once."

"That's true, but I do know that he loves you more than you can probably even comprehend. I'm sure he'll be angry at first, but he's not going to turn his back on you."

I took a bite of eggs and then gave him one as well as I chewed and thought about what he said.

"Okay, let's put this in perspective for you then." I said once I'd swallowed. "How would you react if somebody knocks Chelsea up at eighteen?"

"Okay, one, don't even say that." He cringed, making me smile. "Two, you're nineteen."

"Does it matter? And I found out on my birthday which means I was eighteen when…you know…"

"When I impregnated you?"

"Yeah, that." I said, laughing at his amused expression. "But seriously. Even if it was nineteen, what if Chelsea got knocked up at nineteen? How would you react?"

He cringed again.

"Okay, okay, I see your point. I'd be pissed and I'd probably try to kill the fucker just for even thinking of my little girl like that in the first place."

"Exactly." I said with a satisfied smile. "Still think I'm worrying too much?"

"For yourself, yes. I may want to kill the fucker, but I would never even think twice about being anything less than loving and supportive of my daughter. Nothing would ever make me turn my back on that little girl. And I'm sure that your dad feels the same way about you. The love that a father has for his little girl is hard to comprehend unless you've experienced it."

I dug back into the food silently, hoping that Edward was right.

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.

The drive to Forks was torturous. Every minute that went by felt like an hour, and my anxiety was off the charts. I gazed out of the window of the passenger side of Edward's car, mind racing.

"I should have worn something nicer." I said as I chewed on my lip.

"Whatever, you're dad is not going to care how you're dressed. And besides, I think you look adorable." Edward answered.

I figured wearing comfortable clothes would be some of the only comfort available to me that day, and I could use all that I could get. So I'd decided to wear my most comfortable pair of Victoria's secret sweatpants and the matching zipper hoodie. Plus I'd been anxious to get out of the house quickly and it only took Edward literally about fifteen minutes to get ready, shower included. So to save myself time I didn't even do my hair. I threw it back in a ponytail and covered up the nest looking mess with a baseball cap. Granted, it was a baseball cap that my dad had given me with the logo of his favorite team on it. So I hoped I might score some points with him by wearing it. The only thing I did to make myself look somewhat presentable was put on makeup.

"How has it only been thirty minutes?" I asked with a frustrated sigh. "It feels like hours."

"You just need to keep your mind off of what I know you're thinking about. We could play a game if you want."

"What kind of game?"

"I don't know. We could play I spy."

"Edward, we can't play I spy." I laughed. "You're driving. You kind of need to be looking at the road."

"Touché…" He sighed. "Fine. You want to hear a joke?"

"Sure." I answered, looking over at him.

"Okay, so this man is in the hospital holding his wife's hand while she's struggling to give birth. She keeps complaining about the pain until finally the doctor comes in and tells her that he has some magic pills. He has four and says that each one will take away a quarter of the pain. But the catch is, the magic pills won't really get rid of the pain, they just transfer it to the baby's father. So she takes one and the husband says that women are wimps and he doesn't feel any pain. Then she takes another and he says he still doesn't feel a thing. So she takes two more and has the baby with no problems. Neither her or her husband feel any pain."

He glanced over at me as a smirk appeared on his face and then turned his attention back to the road.

"Okay." I said, urging him to continue.

"Two days later they come home with the baby and the mail man is dead on their doorstep." He finished, laughing.

"Wait, what? I don't get it."

"The magic pills transferred the pain to the baby's father. The husband didn't feel anything but it killed the mail man."

"Wow." I said, shaking my head as I laughed softly. "That's one of the lamest jokes I've ever heard."

"I think it's funny." He frowned.

"I think it's cute when you _think_ you're funny, but that joke…was not funny."

"Fine, no more jokes. You want me to sing for you?"

"Are you serious?"

"Yes. I'm not too manly to serenade my baby."

"Go for it."

"I need music. Put something on from my iPod."

"What do you know the words to?"

"I know the words to everything on it, babe." He said confidently.

"Okay, good. Let me find something." I said, reaching to pick up his iPod from the little console it was in underneath the stereo.

I used the touch screen to scroll down through the artists on his iPod, contemplating what I wanted him to sing for me. I smiled when I got to the Black Eyed Peas. Most of the other artists he had were pretty predictable for him, but the Black Eyed Peas didn't so much fit the style of music that he normally listened to. When I tapped the screen to see which of their songs he had, I couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"What?" He asked.

"You know the words to _every_ song on here, huh?"

The only Black Eyed Peas song he had was 'My Humps' and I knew right away that I wanted to hear him sing it.

"I think so. At least most of the words."

"Okay, well, I found what I want to hear."

"Alright, put it on."

I pressed play and then put the iPod down, waiting for the music to start with a smile on my face. When the music did start, Edward started laughing. However, to my delight, he stayed true to his word and started singing as soon as the words came in.

"What you gonna do with all that junk? All that junk inside your trunk?" He sang loudly, nodding his head a little bit to the beat.

It was the funniest thing I'd ever seen, but it was about to get even better. As he continued on to the next part, Fergie's line, he started singing in a high pitched girly voice.

"Ima get get get get you drunk. Get you love drunk off my hump. My hump, my hump, my hump, my hump, my hump, my hump, my hump, my hump, my lovely little lumps. Check it out."

He sounded ridiculous, singing off key in a hilarious girl voice, but it was totally adorable to watch. I was laughing hysterically, but he continued on without hesitation.

"I drive these brothers crazy, I do it on the daily, they treat me really nicely, they buy me all these ices, Dolce and Gabanna, Fendi and NaDonna Karan, they be sharin', all their money got me wearin' fly"

At this point he was full on dancing as much as he could while still driving while I was absolutely blown away that he really did know all the words. He started singing even louder and more off key, making me laugh harder.

"BROTHER I AIN'T ASKIN', THEY SAY THEY LOVE MY ASS IN, SEVEN JEANS, TRUE RELIGION, I SAY NO, BUT THEY KEEP GIVIN'"

"Baby, I think I'm going to pee my pants." I squeaked out through my laughter, cupping my crotch as I tried to calm down.

"SO I KEEP ON TAKIN', AND NO I AIN'T TAKEN, WE CAN KEEP ON DATIN', I KEEP ON DEMONSTRATIN'"

"Edward!"

"MY LOVE, MY LOVE, MY LOVE, MY LOVE, YOU LOVE MY LADY LUMPS, MY HUMP, MY HUMP, MY HUMP, MY HUMPS THEY GOT YOU"

"Edward, stop! I'm gonna pee!" I choked out, barely able to breathe because I was laughing so hard.

"You sure? You want me to sing something else? I know all the words to sexy back too." He said with a smirk.

Edward pretty much sang to me the whole way there and although it was funny, underneath the laughter I was really appreciative of what I knew was an effort to take my mind off of all the worry. Although those thoughts were still there in the back of my mind, I was thankful for the distraction that he provided. All the laughing helped me let lose a little bit, in turn easing my anxiety.

Edward's silly singing helped the remainder of the drive go by faster, but it was only temporary relief. As soon as we pulled up in my dad's driveway, all of my nervousness and anxiety came flooding right back. Except this time, it was ten times worse. Being right in front of my dad's house, knowing that he was right there in front of me, caused my apprehension to skyrocket.

Of course, my dad had no clue about the bomb I was about to drop on him. As far as he knew, he was just going to have a simple, relaxing visit with his daughter. He was blissfully ignorant to the life-changing news that I had to tell him. He had no idea that my life was about to be turned upside down.

He had no idea that I was about to break his heart.

"Hey, babe, don't cry." Edward said softly, making me realize that tears were forming in my eyes.

I tried to blink them away, swallowing with emotion.

"He's going to be so disappointed in me." I said, voice cracking a little.

"Well, obviously I can't tell you how he's going to react. But I do think you're going to feel a lot better once you get it off your chest. The fear of the unknown can drive you crazy."

"What am I going to do if he disowns me?"

"Then you're going to come home with me and we're going to cope with things the best that we can until he comes around."

"What if he hates me?" I asked quietly, turning to look at him.

"Don't even say that, Bella. I can promise you that he is not ever going to hate you, okay?"

"Don't speak so soon…" I mumbled, turning to once again gaze ahead towards the house.

"Let's just go inside. You're just going to get more and more upset the longer that you sit here and worry."

"Yeah, okay" I sighed, opening my door.

.

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**EPOV**

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.

I hated seeing Bella so worried and nervous, but the only thing that I could do for her was try to be as supportive as I could. I wanted the day to be over with probably just as much as she did, but I tried to put up a calm and collected front. I held her hand as we made our way up to the door and smiled at her encouragingly when she looked over at me hesitantly before reaching to open the door. It was locked, so she knocked.

She shifted her weight uncomfortably as she waited for her dad to come to the door and I squeezed her hand in what I hoped was a reassuring gesture.

When the door finally opened, Charlie greeted us with a big smile.

"Well look who it is." He said cheerfully.

"Daddy…" Bella breathed, throwing herself at him in a big hug.

Charlie looked a little taken aback, but he hugged her back happily.

"Nice to see you too, Bells." He laughed.

"I've missed you." She mumbled.

"I've missed you too, hun. Ya'll come on inside, there's no sense in standin' out here on the front porch like strangers."

I followed Bella and Charlie into the house, closing the front door behind me. Charlie led us into the living room where he sat down in the big oversized recliner. I took a seat on the couch and Bella sat down next to me, facing her father.

"So how come you didn't bring that little girl of yours, Edward?" Charlie asked.

"She had plans today with her Grandma." Bella lied.

"Oh, well, I wish she could have joined you. She's one hell of a kid."

"Yes, she is." I agreed with a smile.

"I hope I get to meet her again one of these days."

"You will." I said confidently.

"Pretty confident that you'll be around for a while then, huh?" He asked, raising one eyebrow at me.

I felt Bella shift uncomfortably next to me. I took her hand in mine, intertwining our fingers, and held it tightly.

"Yes." I said simply.

He huffed, lifting his foot up to balance it on the opposite knee, but didn't say anything else on the subject.

"So, Bella, not that I'm not happy to see you again so soon…" He started, turning to her. "I am. But I'm a little surprised. You were just here not too long ago. You came back pretty quickly."

She gave him a small smile and held my hand a little tighter.

"I just really wanted to see you. Is that a crime?" She asked with a little laugh.

"No, no, of course not." Charlie replied. "I'm glad that you're here. I'll take any chance I get to see you. I really miss having you around, kiddo."

"I really miss you too." She said quietly.

"I trust that Edward here is taking care of you like he told me he would." He said, eyes flickering briefly to me.

My stomach turned a little at that. He was definitely not going to feel that way by the end of the day.

"He does. He is." She told him.

We sat there and chatted nonchalantly for a while until we decided to go out and get some lunch. Although our conversation flowed rather smoothly, there was definitely an underlying tension for Bella and I. We knew that our visit wasn't really as happy and cheerful as we were pretending it was, and I think it caused both of us some anxiety to sit and wait for the other foot to drop. It caused me personally even more anxiety to wait and wonder when Bella was going to tell Charlie her news, but I certainly didn't want to push her or make her feel pressured. I wanted her to tell him when she felt ready, even if it took all day.

As we ate our lunch, Bella kept fidgeting nervously. She kept sighing, shifting in her seat, and she barely ate anything. I wondered if Charlie noticed and his curious glances at her made me think that he did. I wished that I could take the burden off of her shoulders, but it really wasn't my place to even try. She'd already told me that she didn't want me present when she told him, which I respected, but that was just one of the reasons I knew that this was all her.

I thought back to what she'd asked earlier about how I would feel if Chelsea ended up getting pregnant at Bella's age and tried to put myself in Charlie's shoes. Although I couldn't deny that I would definitely not be happy if this were to happen to my own daughter, I really did have confidence that Charlie would not turn his back on Bella or disown her as she feared. I respected him as a man and as a father. Even after just meeting him once, I could tell that he loved Bella whole heartedly. Although I couldn't expect him to be happy about the situation, and even though he may even be angry at first, I had confidence that he would be there for Bella in the way that I hoped he would. He could hate me, as long as he was there for her.

"You alright, Bells?" Charlie asked, looking at her curiously.

I looked over at Bella to find her staring down at her food with a nervous expression on her face.

"Yeah." She said softly. "I just…I'm going to go use the restroom."

"Are you feeling okay?" Charlie asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'll be right back." She answered, standing up.

She walked off towards the bathroom while Charlie and I went back to our food, eating in silence for a couple minutes.

"She sure is quiet today." Charlie commented after awhile.

I nodded.

"I think she's just tired. She didn't sleep very well last night, kept tossing and turning."

Charlie cleared his throat and put his fork down.

"Oh, really? And how would you know that." He asked, one eyebrow raised.

I swallowed and felt my face grow hot, mad at myself for putting my foot in my mouth like that.

"I, uh…well, she, um…she told me. She told me this morning that she didn't sleep well last night."

"Uh huh." He mumbled, picking up his fork again and getting back to his food.

"I'm…going to go use the restroom as well." I said, standing up.

"Yeah, you do that." I heard him mumble as I walked away.

I shook my head at myself as I made my way to the restroom. It looked like I'd gone and already pissed Charlie off before Bella could even get to him.

I took care of business and washed my hands quickly. When I walked out of the bathroom, Bella happened to also be walking out of the Women's bathroom at the same moment. When she looked up at me, I could see that her eyes were a little watery and a little puffy, possibly from crying but looking more like she'd just been tearing up a bit.

"Edward…" She said softly, immediately moving over to me and wrapping her arms around my waist.

I was glad that the restrooms were in their own little hallways so that Charlie couldn't see us. If he had, he surely would have known that something was wrong.

I wrapped my arms around Bella and kissed her head.

"Are you okay?"

"I almost told him. I was so close to just blurting it out, but I didn't want to cause a scene. I didn't want him to yell at me in front of all these people."

"I think you really need to tell him when we get back to his house. Every minute that goes by I can see you getting more and more upset about this. You've got to get it out or you're going to drive yourself crazy."

"I know. I will. I'm going to tell him right when we get back to the house."

"Okay."

"Thank you for coming with me today."

"Where else would I be?" I asked softly, resting my forehead against hers. "My heart is wherever you are."

She smiled just a bit and tilted her head up to just lightly touch my lips with hers.

Once we got back to the table, we found that Charlie was standing and waiting for us. He told us that he'd already paid and was ready to head out if we were. Bella and I being ready to head out was an understatement, so we eagerly told him that we were ready to go as well.

The ride back to Charlie's house was silent. Bella and I were quiet due to our nerves, and I had a feeling Charlie was so quiet because he was still troubled by my accidental insinuation that I'd been sleeping with his daughter. The short drive felt like an hour, and I spent the whole time hoping that we would be pleasantly surprised at Charlie's reaction.

Once we arrived back at Charlie's house, he quickly got out of the car and headed up the steps of the front porch and into the house. I hung back, opening Bella's door for her and lingering next to the car with her.

"Are you going to tell him now?" I asked.

"Yeah." She said quietly, toying with the hem of her shirt.

""I'll just hang tight out here then, call Rosalie to check on Chelsea or something, you know…give you two some privacy."

"Okay." She mumbled, lifting one hand to bite at her thumb nail nervously.

"Whatever happens, whatever he says, we're going to be fine. Okay?"

"Yeah." She answered softly.

I wrapped my arms around her tightly, trying to be as comforting as possible, and lightly kissed her forehead. Then I moved to lightly kiss her cheek, then her cute little lips.

"Kiss me." I said quietly against her lips.

"I just did." She breathed back in response.

"No you didn't. _I_ kissed _you_. Kiss me back."

She sighed and lifted her hand to the back of my neck as she stretched up to kiss me softly. I kissed her forehead once more and then squeezed her a little in my arms before letting her go and watching her walk away from me towards the house. As I watched her, I made a little silent plea to any God that may be listening to make this as easy as possible on her.

I watched her slowly make her way up the steps and then stop, facing the front door. She stayed there for a while, just standing there. I didn't say anything, assuming she was trying to mentally prepare herself as much as possible for what she was about to do. I just watched her; saddened that she had to deal with this.

_Come on, baby…you're gonna be okay._

She turned around then to face me, and the look in her eyes surprised me a little. It almost resembled a pleading look, but I had no idea what she wanted.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

She didn't say anything, but her eyes started to water a bit and the needy look in them only increased.

"Do you want me to go with you?" I asked.

She nodded, blinking away the tears that were pooling.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I need you."

As I stood there and looked up at Bella standing at the top of the porch steps, it was the first time that I'd really looked at her and thought that she really looked her age. She looked like exactly what she was, a scared teenage girl. I'd always known that she was mature beyond her age, and always thought of her as older than she really was. But in that particular moment, she looked more child-like than ever before.

It was then that I realized that whatever fear and anxiety I was experiencing, it must have been ten times worse for her. I knew what to expect when expecting a child. I'd been through this before. I was stable in life. I was established in my career and I was at a reasonable age to be having children. Bella, however, was none of those things. She was just getting started in school, still being supported by her father, and barely even a legal adult herself. Although, she did have me. Surely I was a sense of stability for her.

The thought then struck me that maybe Bella didn't think of our relationship as a done deal. We really hadn't even been together that long. Things between us had already been moving rather quickly, and now here she was pregnant with my child. I absolutely planned to stick by her through everything and anything, but I wondered if maybe Bella feared that she would end up alone with this baby and no means to take care of herself. I hoped that she knew me better than to think that, but I couldn't be sure.

"Edward." She said, pulling me back out of my thoughtful trance.

"Sorry, yeah, of course I'll come with you."

I climbed up the stairs to her and took her hand firmly in mine. Thankfully, I could visibly see her body relax.

"Thank you." She said, looking up at me.

"You're welcome. Now come on, let's go in."

We found Charlie in the kitchen rummaging around in the refrigerator, I think looking for a beer. Bella's hand was hot in mine and I could feel the nervous tension rolling off of her. I wanted to take it all away from her, but I couldn't. She had to face this head on, and all I could do was to stand by and try to support her. I was thankful that she'd decided that she wanted me with her, not outside.

"Dad?" Bella asked softly, timidly.

"Yeah, hun?" He muttered, not bothering to look away from the refrigerator.

"Um…I need to talk to you. It's important."

He turned around to look at us and seemed to recognize Bella's nerves.

"Alright, yeah, sure. Let's go sit in the living room."

Charlie grabbed his beer from the refrigerator and then closed it before leading us into the living room. He kicked back with his feet up on the recliner while Bella shuffled over to the couch, me never leaving her side nor letting go of her hand. He gave Bella an expectant look and she swallowed nervously. I squeezed her hand, trying to silently communicate my support and encouragement.

"Dad...I…I've always wanted to make you proud."

"I know you have, kiddo." He said, smiling yet looking pretty apprehensive of where this was going.

"Making you proud is so important to me. And before I tell you what I need to tell you, I just want you to know that I'm so sorry if I disappoint you whether it be now or in the future…"

I could see the worry growing on Charlie's face. He knew this was serious. He was concerned.

"Bella, you look scared out of your mind. What's going on? You know you can talk to me about anything…"

"Dad, I'm pregnant."

I felt my breathing stop abruptly. I hadn't expected her to just say it so suddenly like that. I thought she might beat around the bush nervously, maybe try to ease him into understanding what was going on. But no, she's sat him down and just gave it to him straight up. Maybe she just needed to get it out. Maybe it was too much pressure to try to hold it in for one more second. I knew that I for one had just wanted to get it out on the table and get it over with. Maybe Bella felt the same way.

At first, Charlie's face was expressionless. He just looked at her as if he were incapable of absorbing what she'd just said to him. The hold that Bella had on my hand tightened and I could actually hear her breathing become shallow. It felt like forever that Charlie just sat there staring at us. The tension between all of us was intense.

"Are you being serious?" He asked in a flat tone.

"Yes." She said in a shaky, barely audible voice.

"Isabella Marie Swan, if this is some kind of sick joke, you damn well better tell me right now."

"It's not a joke." She answered, starting to cry.

Charlie slammed his beer down on the side table and stood up abruptly, immediately pointing his finger at me.

"You get the hell out of my house." He said.

He didn't raise his voice, but his tone was threatening.

"Dad," Bella started, standing up and letting go of my hand.

"Sit down, Bella." Charlie answered.

"Dad, ple – "

"_Sit down_, Bella." He said sternly.

Bella whimpered a little in distress as she sat back down. Charlie's burning eyes did not leave me. I took a deep breath and swallowed thickly before addressing him.

"Sir, I know this isn't an ideal situation. But I lo –"

"No." He cut me off. "You don't get to speak. You lost your right to speak when you broke your word to me. You told me that you were going to take care of her."

I had expected him to yell, to shout and raise his voice, but his eerily even tone was equally if not more troubling.

"Daddy, he does take care of me!" Bella interjected, prompting Charlie to look over at her.

"Take care of you? Do you not understand the gravity of the situation, Bella?"

Nevermind. The yelling had arrived.

"Of course I understand!" Bella yelled back. "This is terrifying to me! But I love him. And he loves me. And he treats me better than I've ever seen a man treat a woman. He didn't do this on purpose, dad."

"How do I know that? Hasn't he been through this before? What is your deal anyway?" he said, turning back to me. "Do you just go around seducing naïve young girls and knocking them up and ruining their lives?"

I felt my chest tighten. Yes I'd been through this before, but my daughter was a blessing. She'd changed my life absolutely for the better and I didn't even want to imagine if I didn't have her. Even the slightest insinuation that she was a mistake or that she may have ruined someone's life was like a punch to the stomach. It hurt.

"Dad! That's ridiculous and you know it!"

I took another deep breath before speaking again.

"Sir, I can assure you tha –"

"I thought I told you not to speak! In fact, I told you to get the hell out of my house!"

I nodded and stood up. It was his home, and if he didn't want me in it that was his prerogative. I turned to look at Bella and gave her a small, encouraging smile. Her eyes were full of tears and so many emotions. There was fear, anger, hurt, sadness, worry…everything.

I tried to silently communicate my support and encouragement to Bella before I turned away from the both of them and made my way down the hall towards the front door. As I did so, I could still hear them talking behind me.

"Are you kidding me, dad? You're kicking him out of your house? What are you, five? What is that going to solve?"

"It's going to solve plenty! Getting him away from you was something I should have done when I found out you were dating a thirty year old! I'm so stupid…some father I am…I should have made your ass come home then and there. What you were _thinking_, Bella?"

I heard footsteps rapidly approaching but before I could turn around to look, Bella was hurling past me, darting right out the front door. She was moving so fast that I had to quicken my pace to go after her. I followed her out the door, thinking she would stop once she was outside, but she didn't. Instead, she turned to the left and took off speed walking towards the woods not far at all from the house. I swiftly followed after her, one half following its other.

"BELLA!" I heard Charlie yell from behind me.

Suddenly, I was angry. Charlie could blame me and hate me all he wanted, but Bella was his daughter. I'd been there as she suffered through endless anxiety over his reaction. Because of my faith in Charlie as a man, I'd reassured her that he would love her and be there to comfort her no matter what. As her father, as a respectable father, he needed to live up to that.

I stopped and turned around to face him as he approached me, also following after Bella.

"She is your _daughter_." I said firmly.

"Yes, she is." He said, stopping and looking at me with flaming eyes. "That is why I have to intervene and keep her out of this kind of situation with _you_."

"It's too late for that. I'm sorry, but this has happened. She's pregnant with my child and that means that as long as we're both part of that child's life, which I have every intention of being so, we're part of each other's lives as well. I understand that you're not happy about this situation but if you want to be in Bella's life, which I'm pretty confident you do, you're going to have to accept it."

"I don't have to accept you. I gave you a shot, and you blew it."

"You don't have to like me, Charlie. I want you to, but you certainly don't have to. You can blame me all you want for this, and you can be as mean to me as you want, but don't take this out on Bella. She loves you more than you could possibly imagine, and she was so nervous to tell you about this. Her life has been turned upside down without warning. She's scared. And she needs the stability of the love of her parent. She needs you."

"Don't you try to tell me what she needs! You have no idea about her needs! You completely discarded those when you knocked her up!"

"I didn't do this on purpose, Charlie. And I think about her needs every second of every day. Her and my daughter are the two most important things in my life. Their needs are my priority. I understand this is shocking and upsetting, but what she needs is for you to suck it up and pull it together as best as you can and be there for her. That's what I've tried to do, and I really hope you can do the same…for her."

"Who the hell do you think you are, telling me how to deal with my own daughter?"

"I don't mean any disrespect, sir. But like I said, Bella is my priority. And I'm going to do everything I can to try to make sure this isn't any harder on her than it needs to be. If you want to get mad and yell at someone and take out your anger on someone, do it to me. Just please, I beg you, try to be understanding of what she's feeling. She's terrified and worried sick that you're going to disown her. You don't have to be happy the situation she's in, but please, _please_ just let her know that you love her."

His face softened a little and he sighed.

"Of course I wouldn't disown her. She's my little girl."

"You need to tell _her_ that. She needs reassurance that she still is your little girl."

"I need to be alone with her." He said, glancing off past me into the trees.

I sighed and turned to look behind me, in the direction I'd been following her in, but she was gone.

"I don't even know where she went." I sighed as I reached up to rub the back of my neck.

"I do." He said confidently, walking past me towards the trees.

"I hope so." I said as I followed him, worried about her.

"Didn't I just say that I need to be alone with her?"

"That's fine. I just want to see her first." I answered.

For all I knew once Charlie got to her he would tell her that I'd left and was going home without her or something crazy like that. I needed to see her first and make sure we were on the same page.

Indeed, Charlie knew exactly where she'd gone. We only had to walk a very short distance before we found her. She was in a slightly cleared area where a treehouse resided, overlooking a small creek. Bella was sitting down by the creek on a huge rock, her head in her hands.

She must have heard us approaching as our footsteps made the leaves and sticks crunch beneath us, but she didn't look up. She didn't move at all. Charlie stopped a few yards away from her, but I went straight to her. I didn't stop until I was right in front of her. I crouched down in front of her, putting my hands on her knees.

"Baby…" I said softly.

She lifted her eyes to look at me, tears silently rolling slowly down her cheeks.

"Hi." She sniffled.

I moved my hands to her hips so I could pull her closer to me. She eagerly scooted towards me until she was perched just on the edge of the rock. She threw her arms around my neck and pulled me closer to her. I wrapped my arms around her middle and got on my knees, between her legs. She rested her forehead against mine, some of her tears getting onto my face.

I didn't care that Charlie was there to see our intimate position. I just wanted to comfort her.

"I want to have your baby." She whispered softly. "I don't care what he says. I want to have a family with you. I want to be with you forever. I love you. I love you no matter what he thinks. Please don't listen to anything he says, Edward."

I couldn't help but smile at her. Her words were endearing. I knew she was whispering too softly for Charlie to possibly hear what she was saying, only I could, but I knew neither one of us would care if he had. It was the first time she'd made such a powerful declaration of _wanting_ to have my baby and wanting to be with me forever. It made my heart swell.

"I love you too, my beautiful girl." I whispered back. "He's just in shock. Please don't be upset."

"I don't care. He shouldn't have said those things to you."

"He wants to be alone with you." I told her.

She shook her head, sniffling.

"Don't leave me."

"I think you need to talk to him, baby. And I think he's going to be a lot calmer without me here."

"I don't care what he has to say."

"Please? For me?"

She was quiet for a few moments but then finally nodded.

"Okay." She breathed.

I nodded and kissed her lips quickly.

"Thank you. Are you okay?"

She nodded again.

"Where are you going to go?"

"I don't know. Don't worry about that. Do you have your phone?"

"Yes."

"Then just call me when you're done. Take your time, I'll be okay."

She nodded and kissed me lightly.

"I love you."

"I love you too." I answered. "So much."

I kissed her once more with a peck and then she pecked me again in response. Then she kissed me again, this one slightly more lingering. Charlie cleared his throat so I pulled back and kissed her forehead before standing up. I brushed the dirt off my knees and then turned to head back out of the wooded area in the direction of the house.

"Remember, she needs you." I murmured to Charlie as I passed him.

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**A/N:**

**Let me know your thoughts! They're my only payment!**

**Next chap picks up right where this leaves off, it just would have been too long.**

**Jenna **

**Twitter: JennaRayFF**


	35. Needs Part 2

**A/N: Character names do not belong to me. Copying this content is theft.**

**Please skim over the end of the last chapter if you don't remember where we left off :)**

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**BPOV**

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I watched Edward walk away until he had completely disappeared from view. I craved to have him near me, but I knew that he was right. I needed to talk to my dad alone. He needed to say what he needed to say, and I needed to hear it.

My dad's initial reaction had hurt, but I couldn't say that I had expected him to react much better. I knew he'd be pissed, and I knew that he would show it. I was prepared for it to hurt, but I hadn't expected it to impact me in the other ways that it did as well.

For some reason that didn't really make sense to me, my dad's reaction had seemed to push me closer to Edward. His insinuation that my coupling with Edward was a mistake had only solidified my feelings for him. I wanted to have a family with him. Sure, I was getting started a little earlier than I'd imagined I would, but I just didn't care anymore. Edward was the man I'd always dreamed of marrying. I was getting what I'd always wanted…just a little early. What's so bad about that?

"Bella," my dad said, much more softly than I would have expected. "Please don't cry. I hate seeing you upset."

He came over and sat down next to me on the same huge rock that I was on. I sniffled and lifted my hands to wipe the tears from my cheeks.

"I'm not crying because I'm pregnant, just so you know." I said, a little surprised by the defensiveness in my voice. "I'm crying because you're being so closed-minded."

"What do you mean?"

"I know that Edward is a lot older than me and I know we haven't been dating for that long, but I'm so in love with him. He's everything I've ever wanted for myself in a man. He's everything that you've ever wanted for me, too. You would see that if you weren't so quick to flip out over this. He's sweet and he's a gentleman and he's so respectful. He always puts me first and he's always so attentive to me. He's perfect. And having a baby with him isn't a bad thing."

"It's not about _him_, Bella. It's not a question of his character. It's about the situation. He's too old for you. I should have put my foot down the moment you told me about him."

"Why does his age even matter?"

"Because you're in two very different places in life."

"Not anymore. Now we're in the same place. Together."

"So what does that mean? You're going to give up on all the places you can go in life? You're just going to quit school and have a baby at nineteen? And that's it for the rest of your life?"

"Oh my God, dad!" I exclaimed, frustrated. "You talk about having a baby like it's a damn death sentence! I'm not going to quit school. I still plan on finishing. And I'm certainly not giving up on the rest of my life. I'm going to live the life I want. Having a baby isn't going to ruin that."

"You're not even through your first year of school yet, Bella. Do you know how hard it's going to be to finish when you've got a baby to take care of? You have no idea the kind of attention and care they require. It's going to take up every second of your time."

"Well I'm not doing it alone. And even if you're right, for arguments sake, it doesn't matter. What's done is done. I'm having a baby. There's no point in worrying about what I can't do now because of it."

"Well I hope you prove me wrong. I hope you do finish school."

"I will. I know I will. If I have to after the baby is born I can take my classes online for a while."

"So what does this mean for you and Edward? Are you planning on running off to Vegas or something to marry him?"

Marry him?

All my thoughts came to a screeching halt. Should I expect Edward to marry me? Did my dad expect Edward to marry me? We hadn't even remotely touched on the marriage subject. I'd been so caught up in trying to come to terms with the fact that I was pregnant in the first place that I hadn't given any thought to if this should push Edward and I to the next step in our relationship.

"I, uh…no." I said, feeling confused. "I mean…no, we haven't talked about that."

"Well I'm sure it will come up. Do you know how you're going to answer if he asks you? Because I hope you know that you absolutely _do not _have to marry him just because he got you pregnant. That's what your mom and I did and obviously that didn't work out too well…"

"Dad, Edward and I are not you and mom."

"I know, but I just don't want you to feel like now you're tied down to him for the rest of your life because of this. You have options, you know. You could come home if you want. I can be here for you for everything and we can do this together."

"Dad, I don't _want_ to come home. I love Edward. And I want to be with him. I wanted to be with him before I got pregnant and I want to be with him even more now. But I still need you to be there for me through everything. Just because I'm not here at home doesn't mean I don't need you."

"You know I'm always going to be here for you, Bells." He mumbled quietly, looking down as he scratched his foot through the dirt absentmindedly.

I felt relief wash over me. Those were the words I'd been waiting for all day.

"That's all I needed to hear, dad." I said, taking his hand in mine. "I know this is all hard for you take in. I know you still think of me as your little girl. But all I need to know is that you're still going to be here at home for me whenever I need you, that you still love me."

"Of course I still love you, Bella." He said, lifting his head to look at me. "Don't be ridiculous. I'll always love you, no matter what you get yourself into."

"Will you love my baby?"

"I can't imagine how I couldn't." He answered.

I smiled at him and dropped his hand so I could throw both my arms around his neck.

"Thank you. You have no idea how much better knowing I have you no matter what makes me feel about all of this."

He smiled back at me as we pulled back apart but it didn't seem to fully reach his eyes. There was still worry there.

"So you obviously are against the idea of coming home." He stated.

"Of course I am. I have to be with Edward, dad. I'm in love with him and I'm going to have a family with him."

"Does that mean that I should expect you to be moving in with him? Or has that already happened?"

Just like with the marriage question, I didn't know how to answer this. I hadn't really thought very much about anything in the future. I had been taking everything one day at a time. I had wondered a bit about if I would move in with Edward, it seemed only natural, but not enough to bring it up to him.

My dad was quickly making me realize that Edward and I still had _a lot _to think, and talk, about. However, being focused on things with my dad at the moment, I decided to push it to the back of my mind for the time being. I would think more about it once we'd left Forks.

"I really don't know, dad. It seems only natural that we would want to live together, but like I said, we really haven't talked about any of this. I haven't even known that I'm pregnant for that long and I've honestly just been taking one day at a time. Clearly Edward and I still have a lot to figure out."

"Well I can see why you may be inclined to move in with him, but please keep in mind what I said about marriage. It's serious business, Bells. It's nothing to jump into. I wish I'd known that when your mom and I found out we were having you. You can still have this baby together without rushing into marriage. You can wait a few years and see how things work out between you two."

I smiled at him, trying to appear as understanding of what he was saying as I could, but I knew without a second thought that I didn't agree with him. Why shouldn't I marry Edward? We were going to have a baby together and I was madly in love with him. I knew that I wanted to be with him forever, so why not start now? Why not make it official?

"Let's go inside." I said, standing up. "I don't want to keep Edward waiting too long. He doesn't know where anything is here."

I thought that I was over the worst of it.

I had _no_ idea what was in store for me when we got back to the house.

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**EPOV**

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Bella's time alone with her dad didn't take nearly as long as I'd expected. I drove around aimlessly until I spotted a Starbucks and decided to get myself a coffee. It was only minutes after I'd done that when I got a text from Bella telling me to come back. I eagerly hopped back in my car and tried my best to navigate my way back through for Forks, thankfully making my way back to Charlie's house somehow.

As I walked up to the front door, I made a silent plea that their conversation had gone smoothly. I wanted to find a happy Bella inside.

I knocked on the door, not sure if it would be awkward to just walk in. I waited for a few moments until the door swung open to reveal Charlie.

"You're back." He stated simply, moving to let me in.

"Where's Bella?" I asked as I stepped inside and he closed the door behind me.

"She's in her room." He said, nodding towards the stairs. "She's all yours. I've had enough hormones for one day. I've hit my emotional limit."

_You have no idea_.

"Yeah…" I mumbled as I began climbing the steps.

"I have to warn you, she's pretty upset."

"Great, more tears, just what I need." I sighed.

"No tears, just anger." Charlie said, sounding surprisingly amused.

"Anger?" I asked, turning to look at him. "Did your talk go badly?"

"No, not our talk. Ours was quite pleasant, actually."

"Then why is she angry?"

"I suggested that she go ahead and call her mother, you know, get it over with." He said, a bit sheepishly.

"And it didn't go well?"

"And, well…I'm sure she'll tell you all about it." he answered with a tight smile.

I sighed and turned back around, continuing my ascent up the stairs.

Upstairs, I made my way to the room that I remembered was Bella's. I found her sitting at the desk, staring at the computer monitor, with an angry expression on her face. She was clicking the mouse every few seconds, hitting it a little bit harder than necessary in my opinion.

"Hey, baby." I said, closing the door behind me.

"Hi." She said flatly, not looking at me.

"How was your talk with your dad?"

"Fine. I think I managed to pull his head out of his ass." She said humorlessly.

"You seem upset."

"Do I? Imagine that…" She said, punctuating her sentence with a particularly hard click on the mouse.

"What are you doing?"

"Deleting every picture I have of my mother on this computer."

I sighed and went over to her, taking her hand and pulling it off of the mouse.

"Don't do that. You're going to regret it when you calm down."

She turned in her swivel chair so that she was facing me and looked up at me with those big, gorgeous brown eyes that made my heart melt.

"It's not like I'm deleting them forever. They're just going to the trash. I can restore them if I ever find the strength to forgive her…" She pouted.

_My God, she is so fucking adorable._

"Then why delete them in the first place?"

"I found the physical act of clicking delete to be therapeutic."

I couldn't help but smile as I squatted down to get closer to her level.

"What happened?"

"Well, everything really seemed to be looking up. My dad and I talked and it went much better than I anticipated it would. He was so much calmer than he'd been inside and he assured me that he still loved me and he'd always be there for me and all the stuff I needed to hear. It was like a switch flipped in him. It was awesome. He even told me that he couldn't imagine not loving our baby."

"That's great. What went wrong?"

"He said I should call my mom. On the walk back to the house I was telling him how nervous I had been to tell him and how good it felt to get it off my chest. He asked if I was nervous to tell mom and I said a little. Then he suggested I just go ahead and call her while I waited for you to get back. He thought I would feel even better once I got the pregnancy thing _completely_ off my chest."

"Go on." I encouraged.

"So I called her. I was all positive and everything and I really thought she would take it okay. I thought it would go better than with my dad."

"And it didn't?"

"_Hell_ no. She told me I'd ruined my life and pretty much called you a pedophile."

"Wow."

"And then she went on to inform me that the only logical thing for me to do was to get an abortion."

"Oh, Bella…" I sighed, putting my hands on her legs to rub her thighs soothingly. "I'm sorry, sweetie."

"It was much more harsh and lengthy than I'm making it sound."

"I'm sure."

"How could she say that? How could she just flat out tell me so easily that I need to go kill my unborn child? Just because this isn't planned, she expects me to kill it?"

"I'm sorry. I'm sure that was difficult to hear from your mother."

"I would never do that to my own baby…_our_ baby."

"I know you wouldn't."

I stretched up to kiss her adorable, pouty lips softly.

"This baby isn't a mistake, Edward." She said against my mouth.

"I know it's not, Bella."

"This happened for a reason. I know it."

"And what's that?" I smiled.

"What's what? The reason?"

"Yeah."

"It's simple." She put her palms against my cheeks and smiled. "You're my soul mate."

I smiled and kissed her again.

"I love you."

"Can we go home now?"

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**BPOV**

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On the way home I was full of emotions just like I was on the way there, just a whole different set of emotions. It was better, though. I had all kinds of thoughts racing through my mind, but I was comforted by the sense of relief I felt after getting everything out in the open. The weight I had on my shoulders from harboring such a huge secret was gone.

My mind on the way _to_ Forks was filled with thoughts of worry. My mind on the way home was filled with thoughts of the questions that my dad had brought up earlier.

I wasn't sure where Edward and I stood as far as where are relationship was going to go now. It felt only natural that some sort of progression should happen now, but we hadn't talked about it at all. All I knew was that I didn't agree with my dad. He thought that Edward and I expecting a baby wasn't a reason to move forward with anything, but I felt the opposite. I was more than confident in what I felt for Edward, so a baby seemed like a perfectly fine reason to take our relationship to the next level. In fact, it felt necessary.

I wanted to know how Edward felt, but it took me a few minutes to decide how to broach the subject.

I decided to start with the simpler question.

"So when my dad and I were talking he kind of insinuated that he wanted me to move back home." I said, watching Edward as he drove.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"He doesn't even want you to stay at school?"

"He doesn't think I'm going to finish."

"Wow, that's encouraging…" He muttered.

"I know, right?"

"So what did you say to him?"

"I told him he was being ridiculous. Why would I want to move back home? Even if I wasn't planning on finishing school, which I totally am, I still would never want to leave you."

He reached over to take my hand in his and was quiet for a while before answering me.

"Babe, it would kill me if you left." He said softly.

"Well I'm not going anywhere." I told him, gazing at his perfect face.

"Good."

"After I told him there was no way I was moving back he asked me if I'd already moved in with you."

Edward laughed a little as he flicked on his blinker.

"I guess you pretty much have."

"Not really." I countered. "I mean, almost all of my stuff is still at my apartment."

He glanced over at me with an understanding look.

"Is this something that you want to talk about?"

"Well, I think we kind of should…"

"I agree." He answered. "But can we talk about this when we get home? This isn't a conversation that I'd like to have on the highway."

I knew that he was right, and I didn't mind waiting a couple more hours.

"Yeah, sure."

"Thank you."

We went back to silence for a few minutes, and I was quickly growing horribly bored. I just wanted to be home.

"Hey, Edward?"

"Yeah?"

"Remember earlier how you offered to sing sexy back for me? Does that offer still stand?"

His smile was huge.

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We stopped to pick up Chelsea on the way to Edward's house. It was a little strange going back to my apartment to get her when I wasn't staying there.

I let us in with my key and we were right away greeted with the sight of Chelsea and Alice in the kitchen. Chelsea was standing on a chair, mixing something in a bowl, while Alice stood behind her and helped. Rosalie was spread out across the couch in the living room lounging with a magazine.

As soon as Chelsea saw us, she hopped off the chair and ran straight to Edward. She leaped right up into his arms.

"Daddy!" She squealed happily, wrapping her tiny little arms around his neck.

"Hey, little lady." He smiled, kissing her head. "What are you covered in?"

"It's cookie dough." Alice said apologetically.

"Cookie dough? Looks like they found the way to your heart, you little cookie monster." Edward said, tickling Chelsea's tummy.

Chelsea giggled and tried to swat Edward's hand away.

"I really missed you, daddy."

"I really missed you too, Chelsea."

I was eager to get back to Edward's house, so I only spent a couple of minutes giving Rose and Alice a very quick overview of how things went in Forks while Edward got Chelsea and her stuff together. We took some of the cookie dough in a Tupperware so that we could just bake them at home. Not surprisingly, Chelsea fell asleep in the car on the way to the house. Edward had warned me that she would probably be wiped from all the excitement of spending the night away from home. She literally passed out in the middle of talking.

When we arrived at the house Edward tried to wake her as gently as possible. I went straight to the kitchen to start dinner and he, once he was able to peel Chelsea out of the car, took her upstairs to give her a bath and put her in pajamas.

I loved Chelsea with all my heart, but the evening felt like it couldn't go by any slower. I just wanted to be alone with Edward. And it didn't help that she was super cranky all through dinner because she was tired. She begged me and Edward to watch Sleeping Beauty with her after we ate, but thankfully, Edward told her that she needed to go to sleep.

Unfortunately, I had to wait thirty long minutes for Edward to come back downstairs after putting her to bed.

"Oh, boy…" He sighed when he reappeared downstairs.

"Did she put up a fight?"

"Yes. I'll never understand why kids fight with every last ounce of energy they have against going to sleep when they're obviously exhausted. I love sleep."

He plopped down on the opposite side of the couch from me and I put my feet in his lap.

"Are you tired?" I asked.

"Not too bad." He shrugged. "Do you want to watch a movie or something?"

"Sure but can we talk first?"

"Of course. Come over here." He answered, patting his lap.

I flung my feet off of his lap and scooted down the couch over to him. He grabbed my legs and guided me closer until I was on his lap, straddling him.

"So," I said, flipping my hair over my shoulder.

"So," He smiled. "Do you want to move in?"

I laughed and looked down to play with the hem of his shirt.

"Wow. I didn't think it would be so straight up like that."

"Well, I mean, it seems like the most rational thing right now."

"Yeah." I agreed.

"I think we've already been heading in that direction. You stay here every night."

"Yeah." I agreed again.

"I do want you to be able to acknowledge that this is a pretty big deal, though."

"Well of course it is."

"Our relationship has been awesome and it _is_ awesome but things are going to get a lot more stressful from here. Things are about to change a lot and we're going to have to start working really hard at things which I don't think we're used to."

"What do you mean?"

"Everything comes so naturally between us. We never fight or anything. But everything is going to change and we're going to have to work at reshaping our relationship to make the transition into what things are going to be like."

"I don't think me moving in here is going to change what our relationship is like."

"Having a baby together and living together is a lot different than just dating, Bella."

"Well, yeah, obviously…" I said softly. "But it's still us."

"It is. But I've been through this before. I know how hard it can be and I don't want you to be blindsided by it."

"Right…" I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair.

"What?"

"Nothing." I said, shaking my head.

"Baby, what?" He asked again.

"I just don't like it when you compare me and you to you and Tanya." I muttered.

"I'm not comparing our relationship. I'm just saying I've been through this whole living together and having a baby thing before."

"I know but when you did it with her it obviously didn't work and when you compare it, makes me feel like you're expecting the same thing to happen with me."

"Bella, if I was expecting this not to work then I wouldn't be discussing having you move in with me. I wouldn't even be with you in the first place. That's ridiculous."

"Maybe." I shrugged. "But its how I feel."

"Well I don't want you to feel like that."

"Then can you just not bring her up anymore? Please?"

"Yeah, okay." He said, although he was frowning.

"Thank you."

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"When we were in the woods at your dad's house and I was about to leave to let you two talk, you told me that you want to be with me forever. Did you really mean that?"

"Of course I did." I smiled. "I want you forever. I want what I have with you forever. The way that I feel about you, the way that I feel when we're together…I don't ever want that to go away."

"I'm glad." He smiled back at me.

I just looked at him for a minute, hoping he would expand on that a bit. I was kind of hoping that his question was maybe his way of trying to approach the marriage subject. But as our silence grew longer, the more it seemed like only wishful thinking. I wanted to ask him about his feelings on the subject myself, but his reaction to the whole me moving in subject was already stronger than I'd expected and I wasn't sure that it was the right time to bring up a much more intense matter.

I decided to hold off for now, but I didn't see any harm in hinting around about it a little.

"Do _you_ want to be with _me_ forever?" I asked, wrapping my arms around his neck.

"Yes." He said simply, looking into my eyes. "I hope to be."

I smiled and leaned forward to touch my lips to his.

"Do you want to have more babies with me?" I asked against his lips.

"What?" He laughed.

"Do you want to have more babies with me?" I repeated, stroking the hair at the back of his neck.

"I think we just need to focus on the one we already have on the way, Bella." He answered, still laughing softly."

"I'm excited to be a family with you. Me, you, and Chelsea…" I smiled.

"And…" He said, his hand flitting to my stomach.

"And..." I agreed, moving my hand to rest over his.

"You know what I think?"

"What?"

"I think we should skip the movie and go to bed to practice on that next baby you're talking about."

I perked up at that suggestion. My plan about hinting around at the prospect of getting married may not have been as much of a success as I thought it would, but sex was a welcome alternative. Besides, the day had been so heavy and stressful and serious that escaping between the sheets with Edward sounded phenomenal.

"Mm, that sounds amazing…" I breathed, pausing to kiss him. "I've been thinking about you sucking on my nipples all day."

I'd never really seen myself as someone who would be so into dirty talk, but I loved watching the way Edward's expression would change when I said stuff like that, especially when it took him by surprise. I loved the way his jaw would go slack and his eyes would go a little glassy.

"Oh yeah?" He asked, shifting underneath me.

"Yeah." I answered, kissing down his jaw. "My nipples have been so sensitive and my breasts have been so tender lately. I can't stop thinking about you sucking and kissing them."

"Far be it from me to deny you of _that_…" He breathed back softly, pushing my shirt up at my sides.

I lifted my arms up and he pulled my shirt off before wrapping his arms around me to unhook the clasp of my bra.

"What about Chelsea?" I asked.

"We'll hear if she comes downstairs. She's not quiet."

Once I felt the clasp of my bra pop open I lowered my arms so he could slide it off. He tossed it aside and then looked up at me as his hands caressed my sides over my ribs. I sat up so that I was on my knees and my breasts were right at the level of Edward's face, my hands resting on his shoulders. He looked back down from my face to look at them hungrily and lifted his hands to massage them, pushing them together.

"Your tits are so fucking perfect, baby." He said quietly.

His massaging and kneading felt _so damn good _to my tender flesh. The dull ache felt pleasurable in a strange way, like having your nipples pinched really hard.

"Edward…" I whined, yearning to feel his mouth on me.

He knew what I wanted and sucked my left nipple into his mouth. The soft, wet heat felt incredible on my skin and it made me wonder if that's what it felt like for Edward when he was inside of me.

As he sucked on my nipple he kept his eyes locked on mine, and that made the whole thing even hotter. I loved it when he looked at me in the eyes while we were being sexual. It made our connection feel so much stronger. I felt so close to him.

"Yeah…suck on my nipple, baby…" I said, keeping my eyes locked on his.

His answer was a mere muffled hum against my skin but I could see the smile in his eyes.

When his teeth grazed my nipple, I couldn't help but let out a soft moan. He sucked harder and just when I thought I couldn't take it anymore, he released it from his mouth. The cold air on my wet skin right after Edward's hot mouth made it tingle.

"Sucking on your nipple makes me want to suck on your clit." He told me, still looking up at me.

"You're mouth feels so good." I answered, watching as he continued to massage my breasts.

He kissed all over them and between them, running his tongue languidly over my right nipple.

"I wanna fuck, baby…" He said, rolling his hips up into mine so I could feel his hard and growing erection.

"You make me so horny." I answered breathlessly.

"Let's go to bed." He said as he squeezed my breasts gently. "I need to be inside of you."

"Not yet." I smiled. "I want you to go down on me first."

"Oh yeah?" he asked huskily, moving his hands to my ass. "You want me to eat your pussy?"

"Edward…" I breathed, sitting back down on his lap and resting my forehead against his.

I _loved_ it when Edward talked dirty to me. It was so different from the way he usually was.

"Yeah, baby girl? You want me to eat your pussy?" He asked again.

"Yes…fuck yes…"

"You've been really into that lately."

"You're just so good at it." I answered before kissing him deeply.

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Twenty minutes later I was on my knees on Edward's bed with his head between my legs underneath me...

…coming on his face.

"AH! _FUCK_, EDWARD!" I screamed.

I felt his muffled moan more than I heard it.

I felt my muscles spasm right over Edward's mouth as burning pleasure rushed through my veins. I felt like the air had been knocked out of me as I experienced one of the most intense orgasms I'd ever had. I whimpered with the force of it as I threw my hands up to grip the headboard in an effort not to go limp and collapse with all of my weight right on Edward's head. I didn't want to suffocate the man delivering such pleasure to me, after all.

"Uh…uh…_ah_…"

Edward's hands caressed my thighs and ass as he continued sucking and licking me gently through my orgasm. When I finally came down, I was left panting, chest heaving, and beyond flushed. I closed my eyes and let my head fall back, hair cascading down to tickle my hot skin, as I tried to catch my breath. All of the skin on my body tingled and hummed with satisfaction.

"You want more?" I heard Edward ask from under me.

I didn't even realize until then that I hadn't moved.

"All I want is your dick." I answered breathlessly as I maneuvered off of him.

"Yeah? Does my baby need some cock?"

As I looked down at him I immediately noticed the evidence of my orgasm on him. The lower half of his face, his neck, and even his upper chest was all glistening with the wetness of my juices. At first it evoked a new wave of lust within me. The sight was dirty, erotic, and sensual. The effects of _my _pleasure on _his_ body satisfied some kind of animalistic territorial thing that I didn't know I had in me.

And then all the sudden I was laughing.

It shouldn't have been funny, but for some reason I had broken into an uncontrollable fit of laughter. I let myself fall onto my back on the bed as giggles overtook me. Edward looked at me like I'd just grown a second head.

"What the hell are you laughing at?" He asked, propping himself up on one elbow to look down at me.

"I just came on your face!" I choked out through my laughter.

"And that's funny?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Your face is all wet!" I squealed happily.

He smiled down at me, shaking his head.

"You're one strange girl. You act like I've never gone down on you before."

"Well I've never seen your face so wet." I explained.

"It's just because you were over me." He answered, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"I feel like I just marked my territory or something."

"Whatever gets you off, babe, just as long as you don't start peeing on me like a dog."

"Deal." I laughed.

"I think I need a kiss, Bella." He said with a smile, slowly leaning in towards me.

"No way." I answered with another laugh, pushing against his chest to keep him away.

"Don't you love me?" He asked, moving closer despite my efforts.

"Not that much." I teased with a smile.

I knew I wasn't strong enough to keep him at bay so I gave up on trying to push against his chest and instead tried to squirm away from him. He quickly moved to grasp my waist and hold me in place.

"Come on, I just want a kiss."

"No!" I squealed with laughter.

Once his face was within inches of mine I knew it was pointless to try to fight him off. He was going to kiss me and I wasn't _as_ opposed to it as I was pretending to be. I was a little hesitant to kiss him when his face was so wet with my own juices, but I wasn't one to knock something without trying it.

His lips met mine and he kissed me over and over again all over my mouth, all the while with a big smile on his face. I laughed against his lips and kissed him back, unable to resist him. Tasting myself on his lips wasn't that bad. It was a little strange at first, but the taste wasn't unpleasant. It was kind of sexy to taste what Edward tasted of me every time. When he slipped his tongue into my mouth, I moaned a little.

"You taste good, don't you?" He said softly as he pulled away.

"Yeah." I whispered back, spreading my legs to accommodate him as he moved between them.

He moved his hands from my waist up my sides. I shivered when they ghosted over my ribs and laughed a little bit.

"Ticklish?" Edward asked with a smirk.

"It's cold in here." I answered, feeling goosebumps rise on my skin and my nipples harden.

"I guess I'll just have to warm you up, then." He said with a smirk.

"Guess so…" I smiled back.

Edward moved so he was up on his knees, still between my legs. I shifted to get more comfortable, sliding a pillow under my head.

"I'm so fucking hard." He laughed, looking down at himself.

I looked down to look at him as well and smiled again. His dick was standing hard at full attention.

"Are you gonna fuck me or what?"

He looked up at me and laughed again as he moved one hand up my thigh.

"Are you still wet?" He asked before moving that hand higher to gently stroke my folds.

"You tell me." I answered, pressing my hips down into his hand.

He smirked and pushed two fingers into me.

"You always get so wet for me."

"I have to so I can take that big dick of yours." I answered, biting my lip.

He smiled my favorite happy, boyish smile and leaned down to kiss my lips softly.

"You flatter me." He laughed.

"It's true." I smiled, rubbing my hands over his hard biceps.

"Do you want it?" He asked as he lined himself up at my entrance. "Do you want my big dick?"

"Always." I answered, looking into his eyes as he pushed into me.

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Hours later, I lay there half asleep. I was on the verge of drifting off into dreamland, but every time I was _just_ about to lose consciousness, Edward would sigh and shift around or turn over. It would wake me up until I started to drift off again and then the same cycle would ensue. This went on for an hour before I started to wonder if something was bothering him.

"Are you okay?" I mumbled to him over my shoulder, as he was behind me.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I just can't sleep."

"Is something wrong?"

"No. I just…it's like I can't shut my mind off or something. I don't know what my deal is."

I rolled over to face him and felt around until I found his hand, taking it in my own.

"What are you thinking about?" I asked, punctuated by a yawn.

"Just…everything. I don't know. Nothing in particular."

My eyes were already adjusted the darkness, so it wasn't hard for me to make out the movement of him rubbing his free hand over his face.

"Do you want to talk?"

He shrugged.

"There's really not anything to talk about. I just can't fall asleep."

I scooted closer to him and kissed his shoulder.

"We don't have to talk about anything in particular."

He turned his head towards me and kissed my forehead.

"Yeah, okay."

"You probably just can't sleep because today was so much to take in. It's kind of on my mind too."

"Yeah, I guess so."

"I feel so much better now that everyone knows about me being pregnant. I guess the truth really does set you free."

"Not everyone."

"Who doesn't know?"

"My mom."

"Oh, that's right. Wow…I totally forgot about her."

"I think I'll call and tell her tomorrow."

"Really?" I asked, propping myself up on my elbow.

"Yeah, might as well. Like you said with your dad, I guess the more notice she has to get used to the idea the better."

"Are you nervous?"

"Not really. I'm not seeking her approval or anything. I'll just be informing her."

"How do you think she'll take it? Think she'll flip shit?"

"Who knows..." He shrugged. "I know she's itching for more grandkids. Maybe she'll surprise me."

"Maybe." I sighed, lying back down.

Esme may want more grandkids, but I had a pretty strong feeling that she didn't want them from me.

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The next morning, I woke up to an empty bed. I threw off the covers and winced when the cold air hit me. I scurried over to the dresser and hurriedly threw on a sports bra and a sweater. Then I slipped on some panties but couldn't find any pants so I had to settle for some pajama shorts. I took care of usual business in the bathroom and then left Edward's bedroom in search of him or Chelsea or both.

There was no sign of Chelsea, but I found Edward in the computer room, typing away. I knocked softly on the door frame since the door was already open. He looked up at me and smiled at me beautifully.

"Hey, babe." He said softly.

"Hi." I smiled, walking around the desk over to him. "What are you doing?"

"I was just answering some emails." He answered, clicking the mouse before closing the drawer that held the keyboard.

"How long have you been up?" I asked, hopping up to sit on the desk in front of him in his chair.

"Not long." He replied as he looked up at me.

"Chelsea's not up yet?"

"Nope. I went to check on her before I came in here. Sound asleep."

"Wow, she's been asleep a long time."

He shrugged.

"She's probably recouping from her little slumber party with Alice and Rosalie."

"Probably." I agreed, running my fingers through his unruly hair. "You still have sex hair." I laughed.

He smiled and rolled closer to me in his chair as he turned his head to kiss the inside of my thigh.

"Yes, well, I hear that's a consequence of incredible sex during the night."

He kissed my thigh again and then sort of nuzzled the same spot. The stubble on his face tickled my skin and made me laugh. He kissed my thigh three more times in succession higher up until his face was right in front of my center, nose skimming the thin material of my shorts.

"Edward, stop." I said, shoving him away a little harder than I intended.

He looked up at me with wide eyes, clearly taken aback.

"Wha -?"

"Sorry. I didn't mean to shove you so hard."

"What's your problem?"

"Nothing. I just…I haven't showered yet."

"So?"

"So I just slept all night with your jizz inside of me, not to mention my own…stuff. That can't be an attractive area to have your face in right now."

"Why not?" He asked, smiling up at me.

"Well, I mean, it can't…smell good."

He smirked and shook his head at me.

"You're so adorable sometimes I just want to eat you up. No pun intended, of course."

"I'm being serious." I frowned.

"Me too. You just smell like sex. Nothing unattractive about it."

He moved in to kiss my thigh again but his lips barely grazed my skin before his phone starting ringing on the desk next to me. He picked it up and looked the screen, eyebrows furrowing.

"Who is it?" I asked.

"It's my mom. I wonder why she's calling so early."

"Hmm…" I said, only half interested in what she wanted.

"Oh, well. Maybe it's a sign. No time like the present, right?"

It took me a minute to catch on.

"Wait, what? You're going to tell her _now_?"

"Why not?"

"Over the phone?"

"Sure. Then I can hang up on her if she throws a fit like a child, which is a distinct possibility."

"Oh geez…" I sighed, running my fingers through my hair.

"Hello?" Edward asked as he answered the phone.

I immediately hopped off the desk and headed for the door. I knew this was a conversation I did _not _want to listen in on. It would make me anxious and drive me totally crazy not knowing exactly what Esme was saying on the other end. No, I would handle it much better to just get a recap from Edward when he was finished. So, I scurried out of the room and went to go take the shower that I wanted very badly.

I didn't give a fuck if Esme hated me, but I had hope that the Bitch had the decorum to at least be decent to her son about the whole thing.

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**A/N:**

**Wanna hear something funny? This chapter wasn't even supposed to include any kind of lemony action originally. But things just kind of took off in that direction and I figured you ladies would appreciate if I just went with it :)**

**Some of you have been expressing some frustration that Edward hasn't proposed yet but as you can see it is being addressed. All I can say is please just wait to hear the entirety of Edward's POV of things before you get upset. Patience, ladies! :)**

**PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE take a moment to go check out the Halloween countdown to 2012 that I participated in. Link:**

**www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/7348457/1/Countdown_to_2012_Farewell_to_2011**

**As you all probably know by now, replace the (dot) s with actual dots (.) If it doesn't work for whatever reason, simply go to the profile of Breath-of-twilight and access it from there! The one-shots are anon, so try to guess which one is mine! I bet you can't get it ;) it's very different from my usual style!**

**Thanks for reading! I appreciate every review that comes my way!**

**Jenna**

**Twitter JennRayFF**


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